A photo album of Don and Lanh's painful recovery

PHOTOGRAPH

Scene around a hospital bed, Don, Lanh, Tam, Kim-ly, and Al Zimmerman are all conversing happily, Lanh is feeding Don with a spoon as he lies in the bed and Kim-ly looks on with a concerned smile.

Don doesn't know how or when they arrived, he woke up one day and saw Tam sitting by his bed. He closed his eyes for what seemed like a moment (which was actually several hours) and Kim-ly was there instead. Later he saw all three girls, but he soon tired of their chatter. Kim-ly said "We're going to a gasthaus, do you want us to bring you anything?"

Don whispered, "Bitte ein Bit."

"What?" Kim-ly didn't understand. Don gave her a withering look and she remembered. Ten years ago she visited and there was a brewery in Bitburg and "Bitte ein Bit" was the catch phrase for Bitburger beer.

"No beer!" scolded Lanh. "She'll probably have several for you," then she softened, "Are you sure you are going to be ok with us gone?"

Don relaxed, he knew that Tam and Kim-ly were here for Lanh, and he was grateful for that. "Go enjoy time with your sisters, I'll keep busy chasing nurses."

He closed his eyes for a moment after Lanh kissed him goodbye, and when he opened them again, all three women were sitting around him speaking softly in Vietnamese. "I thought you were going to dinner," he said.

"That was last night," said Tam.

Such is Don's life, drifting in and out of consciousness, waking only to eat and take medications. Don was grateful for the company, but Tam and Kim-ly had lives to live, Tam has a blind husband that needs her, two young boys and a baby on the way. This time she and Jake asked the doctor to not tell them what the sex of their baby was, hoping that number three would be a girl. Kim-ly has a successful life as an accountant, in fact she is Don and Lanh's accountant. "You guys should go, you got a family back there," said Don.

"We have family here too," said Tam, her facial expression never changed, and she studied Don to see what his expression would reveal. Tam was doing her psychology professor thing on him.

Don felt guilty that the sisters were here, all three of them. They had lives to return to, including Lanh, they shouldn't be punished because of his stupidity. Right now, Lanh and Kim-ly were out for a walk, they both needed to get out for a while, even though the weather was so wet and cold.

Just then alarms and beepers started sounding off and Cynthia cried out in agony. Nurses sprinted to her bedside, Don could hear them working with Cynthia, asking her questions like "Where does it hurt?" and "ok, the doctor is coming, you just hang on." Doctor Ortiz sprinted to Cynthia's bed, she gave several stern instructions to the nurses, then Cynthia howled in agony. It sounded to Don that she was talking on the phone "Is there an OR available? ... It will have to do... Ok, we are on our way... hang on Cynthia we're going to take care of you... Nurse! Start prepping her as we go..." and they wheeled her past his bed, she was groaning as she passed by.

"She was so strong..." Don looked like he was heading into shock.

"She IS strong," Tam tried to correct.

"No, she WAS strong, then she got crushed, and that's all my fault," he said quietly. He thought that he had no more tears, then he remembered Cynthia showing him pictures of her two-year-old son and the joyful smile she had, and the joy she felt knowing she would be home in just a few days... and he felt his heart lurch. "I killed her," he gasped, and the tears began to flow.

"No, you did not! That's why I'm here," said Tam. "I'm here to help you realize that none of this is your fault."

Just then the sound of Wendy weeping over her friend could be heard. "I'm responsible for that too," Don said, choking back his tears. "I destroyed them both, and me." He gestured a little with his mangled right hand. Metal appliances were bolted to his hand as the bones healed, it looked like someone was trying to replace his hand bones with pieces of scrap metal but mounted them outside of the skin. He couldn't see what was going on with his legs, and he was terrified to look. "I took Lanh down with me," he groaned, "She's chained to a rusting anchor."

"Look," said Tam, "There's a Latin phrase you need to learn, ready?" She waited until she had Don's full attention, which took a long time as waves of anger and self-loathing washed over him. "Now repeat after me, Stercore accidit."

"Sterno accredit."

"No, listen... Stercore accidit."

"Stercore accidit."

"Good," Tam nodded, "say it again."

"Stercore accidit. What does it mean Doc?"

Tam frowned at him. "Well Doc, it's Latin, it means shit happens. It's one of the hardest lessons we have to learn in life. This whole thing, isn't your fault, you weren't driving that airplane that caused all of this, you're as much a victim in all of this as they are, even more so."

"Even more so?"

"You're their supervisor, you picked them for that duty, you got injured too and you're helpless to do anything, you can't help them, so you have to put up with bullshit feelings of guilt and inadequacy."

Don's eyebrows went up. "My feelings are bullshit?"

"They are when you're wrong," said Tam.

"That's what I've been trying to tell him," Zoomer mumbled as he returned from trying to calm down Wendy and sat in a chair at the end of the bed. He was trying to read a paperback and was doing a horrible job pretending not to hear their conversation.

"I thought you weren't that kind of psychologist," said Don.

"I'm not, but I am a mom, which allows me to dispense wisdom. Do you know the difference between knowledge and wisdom?"

"Of course."

"Tell me."

Don went into "teacher mode" and spoke like he was teaching a school child. "Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad."

Tam chuckled, "Exactly, wisdom is the proper application of acquired knowledge... can I use that tomato analogy?"

"Yeah," sighed Don, "It's public domain, I saw it on a t-shirt."

Tam smiled, the brother-in-law that she has loved since he first held her little sister's hand was still there buried under bandages, guilt, and pain. "You know you were not at the controls of that airplane; you made sure that everyone was in a safe location and following all safety guidelines, therefore you did not cause it, you may have saved their lives. That's knowledge, so feeling good about that is wisdom. Am I right?"

Don nodded slowly.

Tam continued, "you can feel bad for yourself, and Cynthia, and Wendy because you're all hurt, that's knowledge too. Letting yourself feel bad about that is wisdom because it's natural and you need an outlet for the pain. Am I right?"

Don nodded, what was she getting at. Zoomer leaned forward to hear better what she was saying, his book forgotten.

"But blaming yourself for the actions of someone else, that's false knowledge," said Tam. "And what do we call the application of false knowledge when you know it to be false?" Tam glared at Don with that cold stare that has been known to emotionally shatter underclassmen.

"I don't know," he finally sputtered.

"We call it fucking stupid," she glared at him and waited for a response then said, "It's a medical term. Feel free to use it."

Zoomer started laughing so hard he left the room to compose himself. From behind her curtains Wendy shouted, "You go girl!" then muttered "... been trying to tell him that since he woke up."

"Ok, sheesh, point taken. No wonder you're not that kind of psychologist." He was quiet for a long time, then he finally said, "You've been telling me since we met that you're not that kind of psychologist, what kind of psychologist are you?"

She glared at him with that look that could freeze a roaring fire into a solid block of ice. Finally, she said, "Industrial."

"Oh... ok... I didn't realize that drill presses have emotional trauma."

"That's not..."

"Are there deep-seated resentments between hand tools and office equipment like copying machines?"

That's not..."

"What's the deepest, darkest secret a torque wrench ever told you? Tell me, I can keep a secret..."

"That's not..."

"I've always suspected that torque wrenches were emotionally unstable, I mean, if you drop one more than a foot, they need to be re-calibrated, to me that shows a deep-seated need to..."

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I NEVER TOLD YOU." She didn't shout, but she said it with such "mom-force" that everyone within earshot came to attention mentally. "It's the study of psychological associations between all participants in a workforce, I did not select the NAME of the specialty."

"I know... I was there at your graduation... I just had all those one liners bottled up..."

Tam smiled, and she had the most beautiful smile, Don and Lanh knew the moment she and Jake got serious because that beautiful smile emerged, before that point in time Don never saw a smile grace her beautiful face. "I'm doing a study on this incident; I interviewed your wing commander, and he gave me permission to perform the study, write a paper, and submit my findings to him so he and his medical staff can make appropriate decisions."

"Cool! Then you can write off this entire trip as a business expense," he grinned.

She leaned over and kissed his forehead, "I never said that. You'll have to talk to my accountant. But I have something to take your mind off of things for a moment." She stood up and moved close to his bed. "Give me your hand," she very carefully took Don's mangled hand and gently placed it on her belly. "Feel that?"

Don concentrated, touch was very sensitive on his right hand now, through his pain he could feel it clearly. It was almost like a mouse was dancing inside of her. "Is that..." He smiled for the first time since he regained consciousness.

Tam smiled, "Yeah, that's your new nephew Arlo."

"Nephew? I thought you didn't want the doctor to tell you."

"She didn't tell us, but I can tell, this is boy. Boys are gentle in the womb." He was very gentle, much gentler than his brothers.

Don continued to feel Arlo's movements until he fell sleep and dreamed that his hand was on Lanh's stomach feeling their baby's movements as he prepared to meet them.

PHOTOGRAPH

Don and Lanh lying together in a hospital bed kissing tenderly, behind them a nurse peeks in the door

Time was meaningless to Don, he woke up and went to sleep as needed, the lights were always the same, there was no clock to see, the TV was boring and a waste of time, just old re-runs of shows he had seen when he was stationed her a decade ago, Hogan's Heros and the Black Sheep Squadron. Or there were shows he avoided stateside, prime time soap operas. He did watch Guten Tag however. Guten Tag is an ancient German TV show designed to teach people how to speak German. He watched it when he was here alone waiting for an apartment to free up... crap, ten? twelve? years ago? Math is hard when you're on nuclear powered pain killers. The show was based on repetition and Don would repeat along with it, over and over, buzzed out of his skull on pain pills, until he fell asleep.

He didn't notice for a couple of days that he was moved out of the ICU to a private room and a bed for Lanh was set up next to his. He has a vague, fuzzy memory of Tam and Kim-ly saying goodbye, he does remember Cynthia leaving however, he didn't get to say goodbye to her either. He woke up one day and noticed the TV was on a different wall and there was a window on the wall to his left. How much time he spent there he has no way of knowing. His life was mostly x-rays, nurses, and Lanh.

He woke up in pain, and there was Lanh, his love, his partner, his everything, sleeping gently next to him. She's so beautiful when she's relaxed, a smile always graces her lips when she sleeps, her closed eyes even look like little smiles. He tried to go back to sleep but he couldn't, there were other urges... how much water did he drink? It feels like gallons. He probed around with his right hand and accidently rubbed the metal bars holding his bones together against her stomach causing her to wake up immediately. "Hmmm? What?"

"I'm sorry baby, but I have to go." He felt awful for waking her up.

"It's ok, don't apologize. Number one or number two?"

"Number one," he felt so stupid, so useless. He was one bad thought away from bawling like an infant.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh... I like touching you here," she said as she got the "night bottle" between his legs. He felt her manipulating his cock, then he felt her putting the head of it in the neck of the "night bottle" and she said what she almost always says "We might need a bigger bottle, you barely fit," which she follows up with "I'm a lucky girl," and she smiles at him. Sometimes he smiles back, but sometimes he breaks down in tears, it's hard to gauge which way he'll go. This time he gave her a smile that she couldn't read. Once he was done, she took the bottle to the bathroom and left it for the night nurse, then she used the toilet herself.

After washing she returned to Don. As she climbed into bed he whispered, "Stay with me... please?" This was new, because of the pain medications, one day with Don is like any other day with Don because he can't tell the difference and he can't remember yesterday's conversations.

"I will always stay with you Doctor Donovan Aloysius Campbell." She emphasized Doctor because he forgets, but that's understandable, he was named Doctor only hours before the accident. She leaned over and gave him a kiss. "You will never get rid of me Doctor Campbell," she said, her dark brown eyes seeking out his in the dark hospital room. "I will follow you wherever you go." She snuggled as close to him as she could without causing him pain and her hand strayed to his cock. As she idly caressed his cock with her hand, she felt it begin to grow. She was reminded of that day, years ago when he was exhausted from his swim meet and was sleeping on the couch and she took him in her mouth soft and as it got harder, she let his cock work its way down her virgin throat.

Before she knew it, she was crouching over her husband, his semi-hard cock in her mouth and she was suckling on it, coaxing it to life. She wasn't sure if it was possible, or even right to sexually excite your man when he was this injured, but no one told her not to. Slowly her ministrations began to bear fruit, his cock grew and grew and grew. Soon he was bone hard, hard as he was when he was a high school virgin, and back then high school virgin Lanh actually did wonder if there was a bone in his penis. Why not? Every other mammal on earth has one, why not Don?

In Don the calamity of tactile inputs was confusing, he was bombarded by the pain from all over his body yet at the same time the delicious pleasure of his wife's warm, wet tongue sliding over his cock competed with the pain, and her tongue was winning. She couldn't take him too deep into her mouth because he was too hard, it was like hot steel covered with smooth velvet. She held the head of his cock and a couple of inches in her mouth and slavered her tongue over it while her saliva slid down his cock, lubricating her hand as it slid up and down his shaft.

He arched his head back on the pillow and groaned "Oh my God that is incredible!" and he gave himself over to the sensations she was causing. He tried to see what she was doing but it was so dark in the room, and he didn't dare touch her with his right hand, not with all that exposed metal. His left hand was splinted and immobilized, so it was like he was completely bound. There was no escape from her ravenous mouth as the warm wet friction she inflicted coaxed the sperm out of his body.

Sensing his mounting excitement, she shifted position and took his swollen balls in her mouth. Back to the basics, they used to love this so much in high school, up in the hay loft, and more than a few married nights spent teasing and tickling in the hay. To accommodate her he spread his legs a little which caused him intense pain, he almost lost his erection, but Lanh continued to mouth his balls and stroke his cock and soon she brought him back to full strength. This was their favorite when they were eighteen, her suckling his balls and stroking his cock, she could make him cum in moments if she wanted to, but this time was so much more. The constant bombardment of sensation, the pain, the pleasure, they hammered at him. It confused and excited Don and soon he was gasping and groaning, trying to communicate his passion but it was impossible. In the end he just let the sensations assault him as her tongue and lips occasionally slithered up and down his cock.

His cock strained in near release, it was a missile ready to launch, demanding more and more attention, throbbing and tingling as the sexual tension built, overriding the pain that has been his constant companion, casting off the fuzzy brain fog from the drugs. He needed more, more... he arched his back forcing his cock up, his breath was coming in tiny gasps, he was nearly paralyzed with pleasure when suddenly, with what felt like a body wide "click" his orgasm struck. It was an orgasm to exceed anything he's ever experienced. It was so intense it hurt.

Lanh switched from his balls to his cock just in time, swallowing as much of his length as she could, intensifying his pleasure. Each spurt into her mouth was huge and his semen was searing hot, but she took his sperm, every drop. It was the first time since September that she was able to enjoy her man, and she wasn't going to pass up a moment of it.

Don almost lost consciousness from the intensity of his orgasm, it was like an electric shock to his brain and his cock at the same time. After the third, mind-bending spurt, his body suddenly relaxed and his hips dropped to the mattress where he lay and shuddered as the orgasm slowly subsided. Lanh gently licked him clean then arranged his right arm so she wouldn't hurt him or get her nightgown caught on the metal appliances and lay down next to him where they snuggled.

"Oh my God, thank you so much," he finally gasped as he returned to his senses.

"You don't thank someone for a blowjob," she sneered.

"Who came up with that stupid rule?" Don chided. "I bring you roses; you thank me. I bring you chocolates; you thank me. For a guy, a blowjob is flowers AND candy."

"And who came up with THAT stupid rule?" but she was smiling when she asked.

"It's not a rule, it's true. Trust me, I'm a doctor."

She propped herself up on an elbow and looked into his eyes, "You know, that's the first time I've heard you say that... the part about being a doctor," she added quickly. It's true, he has never mentioned anything of his academic accomplishment since he was informed by Colonel Gillian almost two months ago.

He raised his damaged hands a little and said, "They're not going to let me sergeant anymore, so I guess I'll have to doctor from now on..." he considered his degree, Ed.D. Doctor of Education. He didn't plan on this degree, it grew organically, he just kept studying in a course of studies that he enjoyed, and he ended up a Doctor of Education. "I diagnose and treat sick schools?"

"Exactly!" said Lanh, "there's a lot out there that need your help." She was about to expound on how the educational system for American military dependent children in Europe needs help when there came a tap on the door and a nurse poked her head in the room.

"Are you up?" the nurse asked.

"I was," said Don.

"Hush!" said Lanh blushing furiously, and she slapped his shoulder.

"She wouldn't have thought anything of it if you hadn't reacted like that," said Don slyly. "She would have thought I messed up my word tense or something."

"He's right you know," smiled the nurse as she placed a cloth covered tray on Don's bed table. "You wouldn't believe some of the things I hear at oh four hundred."

Don gave Lanh a "Told ya so!" smile and said, "Trust me, I'm a doctor, I know things."

Thinking he was kidding, the nurse said "Ok, Doctor Sergeant Campbell, we're going to draw a little blood and if everything looks good, we're going to do some surgery and get that metal off your arm so you guys can head home on Wednesday."

"Wednesday? Awesome! uh... what day is it today?"

PHOTOGRAPH

A newborn baby is lying on Tam's chest right after delivery, mother and baby's eyes are studying each other, you can see the love between them

Tam started her breathing again, "He He Hoo Hoo, He He Hoo Hoo..." Jake sat alongside, holding her hand, breathing along with her. Nine-year-old Chip and his four-year-old little brother Liam were in a corner of the room with Grandma Mai and Jake's mom Grandma Amy, sitting at their feet playing with trucks. A large screen TV was tuned to children's programming for the boys. The room looked like a big comfortable family room, comfortable furniture, wood paneling, paintings on the wall, toys for the kids. But when Chip and Liam heard Tam's breathing exercises, they jumped up and raced over to the bed where she was laying and began to look for something.

"What are you looking for honey?" Tam asked.

"Arlo," said Liam. "Is he here yet?"

"What if the baby is a girl?" asked Jake.

"Then... we call her... Carla?" said Chip brightly. He was learning word gender in Spanish from Aunt Rosa, so in his mind Arlo went to Arla then to Carla.

That set Tam laughing when he explained that to her, then she suddenly grabbed the sides of her distended stomach, her eyes grew wide and she stopped laughing. "I don't think he liked being called Carla... ooohhhh, this is a big one!"

Jake took Tam's hand and it looked for all the world like they were wrist wrestling, "I'm feeling pushy!" she cried as she pushed against his hand.

"Liam! Feel this!" said Chip as he patted his mother's stomach.

"Wow! Did she swallow a rock?" gasped Liam as he patted his mom's tummy. Her stomach was rock hard caused by her abdominal muscles contracting, pushing their little sister, or brother, down the birth canal.

Tam lay back, soaked in sweat, the contraction over. "I think there's too many children in the room right now," she gasped.

"How long was that?" asked Jake.

"One minute thirty," called his mother, not allowing a new grandchild to interfere with her conversation with Mai, but she was very good at timing contractions. One minute thirty seconds meant Arlo or Carla was almost here.

A nurse came in and sat down on a stool near the end of the bed and reached under the sheet. "Let's see how we're doing here," she said from behind her mask.

"We're having a baby," Liam informed the nurse with all the authority a four-year-old can generate. "She's going to be a girl."

"I know!" said the Nurse. "And she's almost here!" She got up, stripped off her gloves and reached for the wall phone, she spoke into it shortly, then turned to Mai and Amy. "Grandmas, we need you to take these big brothers down the hall for some ice cream."

"Ok you two," said Mai, "Let's go find some ice cream!"

New brother or sister was immediately forgotten as the boys fell in line with their grandmothers. "Does Carla like ice cream?" asked Liam.

"Course not," said his big brother Chip. "Babies don't have no teeth." Big brothers know everything.

As they exited one door, the delivery team entered another door and began to set up the delivery room. What looked like ornate wood paneling was merely cleverly carved cabinet doors that were opened up revealing all forms of medical equipment. More devices sprang from hidden ceiling panels, operating theater lights, oxygen lines. The bed became a birthing chair, the end dropped away, and her feet were placed in stirrups, the back was elevated until she was nearly sitting straight up. Equipment was rolled in, IV stands, equipment trays, an incubator... Tam tried to describe to Jake the activity as the room transformed from a suburban family room with a hospital bed in the corner, to a fully equipped delivery room in minutes flat, but another contraction started as the job neared completion. When she opened her eyes her OB/GYN Doctor Schaeffer was seated between Tams widespread legs.

"Doctor." Tam gave Dr. Schaeffer a weak smile in greeting.

"Doctor," smiled Dr. Schaeffer in return as she reached out to Tam. "Let's see what we have... oh, we won't be here long..."

Chip and Liam would disagree with that estimate. The ice cream at the cafeteria was complete and it was taking forever for the nurse to come out and tell them about the new baby. There was a TV in the waiting room tuned to a police drama, but a very heartbroken looking family was sitting in front of it, watching but not seeing, waiting for news of a loved one that they knew in their hearts would be dreadful. Trying to keep the boys entertained was difficult, toys were at a minimum in the children's area of the waiting room.

When Kim-ly arrived out of breath, Mai and Amy expected her to be their savior and take over entertaining Chip and Liam, but she informed them in no uncertain terms that she was going in the delivery room to help Jake. She's been Jake's audio description service for both Chip and Liam, she's not going to miss welcoming Abbie into the world.

"It's Carla now," informed Amy.

"Carla? Where did that come from?" asked an incredulous Kim-ly. She just spent the past six months getting used to the baby being named Abbie.

"Chip, he just came up with it and your sister liked it." The way Mai said "your sister" implied that Tam's existence was somehow Kim-ly's fault.

"I'll go straighten her out, here watch my purse," and she dropped her purse, coat, hat, and gloves on her mother's lap, kicked off her snow-covered boots and strolled off to the delivery room in her stocking feet.

Kim-ly sashayed into the delivery room, opened one of the cabinets and selected a set of scrubs. This is her third trip to this delivery room; she knows right where everything is. She peeled off her blouse and slacks, as usual she was braless. Tam was resting between contractions and saw Kim-ly standing on the other side of the room topless. "Kim!"

"What!"

"My husband is RIGHT THERE!"

She shrugged then pulled on the scrubs shirt. "He's blind, he can't see me standing here with my breasts exposed, right Jake?"

"You're killing me girl," groaned Jake. The teasing and taunting between Jake and Kim-ly predates Jake and Tam's first date.

"There's other men in the room," snarled Tam.

"And they're all medical professionals, right boys?" she said as she pulled up a wheeled stool and sat down next to Jake. "I'm sure if they saw something out of place, they would have mentioned it. Ok, where are we at?"

"I can tell by the way that the conversation dove into the gutter that Kim-ly has finally arrived," said Doctor Schaeffer. "I hope you can take over for me by helping Dad." Having Kim-ly help Jake understand what was going on was a huge boon to Doctor Schaeffer, she didn't have time to deliver a baby and be an obstetric tour guide at the same time.

"I got it now doc," said Kim-ly as she slipped on gloves. "Ok, the baby is crowning, let's see what that feels like," she took Jake's hand and moved it across Tam's belly. "We start by looking for familiar landmarks and see how they changed... here's her naval, she's got an outie now..."

"Kim-ly, please?" groaned Tam. She knew where this was going.

"Ok," Kim-ly continued, "moving further south we find that your wife shaved! How thoughtful! This is called a Landing Strip..."

"Kiiiiimmm!" came a warning growl from Tam

But Kim-ly couldn't be stopped, she spent her entire life in the shadow of Tam, a force of nature that couldn't be opposed. This is her best and only time to get payback. "Things change drastically from here on down... here's her fun button..."

"KIM!" shrieked Tam.

"Ignore her, it's a medical term. She wouldn't understand, she's a psychiatrist."

"PSYCHOLOGIST!"

"Potato, po-tah-toe, whatever."

Jake tried his hardest not to laugh but the struggle between the sisters was too funny sometimes. Even Doctor Schaeffer was laughing now.

"Ok, feel that? That's your baby's head."

A look of wonder came over Jakes face as he touched his child for the first time. He felt the dividing line between mother and child, how tightly stretched Tam's tissues were around the infant's head. "Is this her hair?"

"Yeah, she's got a bit, not a lot." Kim-ly was stunned that Jake could feel the fine, wispy strands of hair plastered on the baby's head, what an incredible sense of touch! "Keep your fingers here," said Kim-ly as she placed Jakes fingers at the juncture of the baby and Tam. "If someone moves your hand away, just back out, ok? I'm going to hurry your wife along."

"Ok," said Jake. He's never had his fingers here before. He was pushed out of the way the whole time when Chip was born, he was allowed some closer access when Liam was born, but he was still pushed out of the way before they got to this point. Doctor Schaeffer told her crew in no uncertain terms that this would not happen again.

Kim-ly moved to Jake's right and took Tam's hands. "You ready? One more push, that's all."

"I can't... I'm so tired..." panted Tam. Soaked in sweat, her gown was wide open, the only part of her body that was covered was her upper arms, but she was at that point where she didn't care anymore, she just wanted it to stop.

"Come on," said Kim-ly, then she said softly, "This one for Don and Lanh, they need a baby to hold, so let's cheer them up, ok?"

"Ok," gasped Tam as the urge to push started to build.

Kim-ly knew the mechanics of it but she didn't understand what the urge to push was all about. "It's like," said Rosa once, "when you went out and drank some really nasty stuff, you know, jungle juice. So, you got really trashed and your body wants to get rid of it so your abdomen contracts and pushes it out and you puke. You can feel your muscles contract, you can't stop it, it just happens. Labor is kinda like that but in the opposite direction." Putting it in terms of alcohol and vomiting made it easily understandable to Kim-ly, the Nguyen Party Girl.

"This is it!" encouraged Kim-ly, "here she comes!"

The urge to push slammed into Tam like a freight train. She grabbed the bed rails and pushed as hard as possible, the whole time Kim-ly encouraging her, "Push! Push! Push! Pushpushpushpush!" Tam gritted her teeth and bared down, and she felt a move, here she comes!

Jake felt his wife straining, he heard her screaming, then suddenly the baby moved, he felt the ear as it started to emerge. "I'm going to help momma a little," said Doctor Schaffer and suddenly the baby was sliding past the tips of Jake's fingers; neck, shoulder, arm, hip, she's out! The doctor had pulled the baby out, and now Jake could hear its little cries. "Give me your hand," said Doctor Schaffer, and she took Jakes hand and put it on the baby. "Here's the umbilical cord, and here..."

When Jake realized what his fingers encountered, he turned toward where Tam was panting and smiled "It's a boy!"

"Told ya," smiled Tam weakly as the doctor placed Arlo on Tam's chest and let mommy and daddy greet the new life while she attended to cleaning up Tam.

Kim-ly collapsed into her chair and shook the pain out of her hand. Her hand was on the bed rail when Tam started her last push, she clamped down right on Kim-ly's hand and damn near crushed it. Her fingers were still numb, so she flexed her fingers and shook her hand trying to get some feeling back into her fingers. "Damnit," she moaned, her hand wasn't responding when she tried to flex her fingers. "There goes my sex life." But as she sat and reflected on the event, she considered what she said - a baby for Don and Lanh to hold.

PHOTOGRAPH

Don and Wendy Addams sitting in wheelchairs outdoors side by side saluting as people walk past them.

It was twenty-two hundred hours (ten PM) when the phone on the table next to the bed rang. Lanh was on her laptop looking for employment, she could find teaching jobs, and she could find clinical jobs, but she couldn't find full time positions for either one, nor could she find a part time clinical position close to a part time teaching position. She wanted both, at UND she learned that they go together so nicely. She can take what she learned from the clinic and apply it to the teaching position, and vice versa so two part time positions in close proximity would be nice. Don was fast asleep, he had another day of surgery in the morning, but they're still on schedule for the hop across the pond, Wendy is ready, and Lanh was told that Cynthia will make the trip too.

Lanh picked up the phone with the annoying ring and answered "Hello?"

"Ma'am, this is Sergeant Luna with the Ramstein MARS station, are you familiar with MARS?"

Lanh scoffed; she was probably more familiar with MARS than the sergeant volunteer talking to her right now. After a year of operating the MARS station AGA8OS out of Osan, like Don she did it so she could call family back home more often, and like Don she now has a ham license, KO4JPN. "Roger dat," she said.

Not believing her, Sergeant Luna gave her a full briefing on how to use the system. He ended his briefing by saying "This is cool, I've never had a call originate in the states."

"It happens," she said, "I had a few come into the station at Osan."

It sounded to Sergeant Luna that she said she operated a MARS station, but she's a dependent! It didn't make sense to him, but he's never been to Korea, but he heard that's where the Real Air Force lives. Lanh heard him connect the phone to the radio and start the mantra that begins a transmission, "Alfa Foxtrot Charlie Three Golf Delta, this is Alpha Gulf Alpha Two Romeo Sierra, we have your number one on the line, go ahead when ready."

Then she heard a familiar voice that she hadn't heard in a decade say, "Ok, Kimmy, go ahead when you're ready." Then "Hi Lanh, this is Kim-ly... over."

Lanh knew that a MARS call wasn't a conversation, you sent all your headlines and the person you are talking to does the same when it's their turn. "Hi Kim-ly what's up? Don is asleep, we will be flying out of here on Wednesday. Don had the braces removed from his arm on Friday, tomorrow he is getting his left leg reset, he's not looking forward to it, but it should finish up work on that leg... over."

"Tam had her baby this morning," came Kim-ly's excited call, "she was right, it was a boy! Six pounds, eleven ounces... His name is Arlo... over"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" The sisters chatted back and forth about Don and Arlo until their five minutes were up and were even able to get an extra two minutes in, then they said their goodbyes. Just as Lanh was about to hang up, she quickly said, "It was good to hear you again Rudy!"

The stateside side of the connection, AFC3GD, called out, "AGA2RS, is that number one Lanh Campbell? Over."

"Roger, roger Rudy. I'm here at Wiesbaden hospital with Don, we're hoping to catch a flight back to New Mexico in a couple of days... over."

"I want to apologize, I thought she said Kimmy instead of Kim-ly, I would have recognized you if I was hearing her correctly. It was so good to hear you again, I'm sorry for the circumstances, over."

"It's great to hear from you one more time, Rudy," said Lanh with a tear in her eye. "You were there for us at the start of this journey, it's only fitting you should be there as we end our time in the military. MARS even got us started in a great hobby so, seven three from KB0LVZ and KO4JPN, and we'll be clear on your final... over."

"Very good, very good, two hams in the family, that is great. It was good to hear from you again, good luck to you on your future endeavors." There was so much more he wanted to say, but he has their call signs now, he can look up their address and send them a snail-mail about how great it was to hear old customers again. He gave Lanh his civilian call sign which she wrote down. She vowed to write him a nice thank you note right away.

~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~

Before his surgery Don insisted on stopping by and seeing Cynthia, they couldn't dissuade him from wanting to do this, but instead they swung by Wendy's room, she too had moved up to the inpatient ward and was just down the hall from him. She was sitting up in a wheelchair, a marked improvement, and she was telling a volunteer how she was going to dance with her husband when she got home. Her long, beautiful hair was now in a box; her head was shaved like Cynthia and Don to treat the skull fractures they suffered, but hers were more severe than Don, Cynthia, and the surviving McDonnell Douglas contractor.

His surgery was not a complex matter this time, his left tibia had to be realigned, it wasn't set properly in the initial emergency and had a low priority, his other injuries took precedence. His spine was so damaged they couldn't give him an epidural, so he went under general anesthesia, but he took a long time to come out of it. In the recovery room Lanh sat composing her note to Rudy, she had looked up his call sign and found that he was Rudolph Flaminio and lives on Long Island New York.

Finally, Don woke up and gasped "Baby?" He started looking around in a panic, he even sat up to look, which caused a lot of pain. Zoomer and Lanh had to ease him back down before he tore open some of Doctor Ortiz' work. "What are you looking for em yêu?"

"It doesn't matter," sighed Don, "it was just a dream."

"Tell me," Lanh said as she leaned close.

"It was dumb, I dreamed I was laying here, half awake, but I had a little baby with me tucked between my arm and my side. That's all, I dreamed about lying in bed with a baby. As I was taking a nap with a baby, your angel came and got him. Then I woke up in my dream and then I woke up here," he said. "Told you it was dumb."

Lanh leaned forward just a little more and gave him a kiss. "It sounds peaceful, maybe she decided it was what you needed. Or maybe you were dreaming about Arlo."

"Yeah, it was peaceful," said Don, "but it wasn't Arlo. It's... it's weird, I knew who it was... maybe it was Arlo I don't know. When your angel came and picked him up, she said, "That's about enough time for you," and she left with him." He didn't want to say it to Lanh, but in his dream, he had such a sense of belonging, that he and the baby were a team.

~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting up was a novel thing, and Don wanted to be transported in a wheelchair, finally Dr. Ortiz had to convince him to practice sitting in a wheelchair, he couldn't believe how dizzy he was just sitting up; he's been lying flat for weeks and not moving much. "It's because of your blood pressure," said the German nurse who was wheeling him around the hospital. They had just come back from seeing Wendy, he and Wendy wanted to see Cynthia, but the nurse said no, "Your blood pressure too low," and she wheeled him back to his room. Don didn't press the issue because German nurses are very sweet until you cross them.

Don also wanted to travel in uniform, but his uniform was destroyed and his belongings that were in his room at the Khobar Towers were sent home ahead of him. All he had was his wallet containing $40 and his ID card, so he wanted to give Zoomer his credit card and send him over to Uniform Sales and get him a uniform to wear. Again Dr. Ortiz put her foot down, "NO! If there is a problem with your monitors on the flight, they will have to cut the uniform off. Your uniform is a hospital gown and robe, and I will inform the aircrew commander of that."

"It just doesn't look military," said Don, in his mis-matched pajamas as they locked his stretcher into position on the medevac equipped C-17.

"I got you covered Sarge, trust me," and Zoomer winked at him.

The C-17 Nightingale is a modern medical miracle. It is a flying ICU and capable of handling dozens of severely injured troops. On this flight there were only a handful of medical passengers, so only one small portion of the cavernous aircraft was set up for the injured troops. Lanh stood next to Don holding his hand as he lay in his stretcher, but a member of the flight crew, an Airman First Class was annoyed that Lanh was on his aircraft "Lady, I don't care who you are, just find a place and SIT DOWN."

Lanh had that panicked look in her eyes that Don saw years ago when Joshua Grimes attacked her. She did want to sit down; she just asked the airman where she should sit, and he went off on her. Don gestured to her to come over to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..." she looked terrified.

"You stay here with me," Don said. There was a firmness to his voice she had never heard before.

"That guy's a fuckin' jerk," said Wendy, "I think he made Weresergeant Campbell appear." Wendy's stretcher was next to Don's, they were lying head-to-head along the right side of the fuselage and were able to speak to each other. The plane was a beehive of activity, cargo and people were being loaded and Lanh was terrified that she was in the way.

"No, you just stay here with me," said Don. "They have to leave us alone, so they'll work around us. You're in a bubble of safety here with us." Lanh agreed but felt unsure.

The airman came up to Lanh and growled "Didn't I tell you..."

"AIRMAN!" snapped Don loud enough to be heard throughout the cavernous aircraft.

"What do you want old..."

"The name is SERGEANT, and to you it's MASTER SERGEANT. If I EVER hear you speak to my wife ever again for ANY reason, I will come up off of this stretcher and beat you to death with your own fucking leg, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Sergeant, I didn't..."

"I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND AIR MAN?"

Behind her Lanh could hear Wendy quietly tell Zoomer, "Sergeant Campbell is back!"

The aircraft load master and the aircraft crew chief appeared at Don's side, the load master, a tall female master sergeant in a flight suit bent over and said, "Is there a problem Sergeant Campbell?"

"Sergeant Ptaki," said Don reading her name tag, "the two things most important to me are my wife," and he lifted his hand showing he was holding Lanh's hand, "and aircraft safety. Airman Sewell just committed a safety violation that could have cost him his life."

"What was that?" Master Sergeant Ptaki looked worried.

"He spoke to my wife in a manner that she deemed to be threatening."

"He's really good," said Zoomer to Wendy.

"Told ya," Wendy nodded.

Master Sergeant Ptaki agreed with Don, family comes first. "Airman Sewell, arrange seating for Mrs. Campbell and Captain Zimmerman. Now." Sewell groaned, setting up centerline seating this late in the load was a pain in the ass, but he did it. "What happened to you guys?" she asked Don.

"Got rolled by an antsy F-15 driver," said Don.

"Man, dat shit's goin' around. There was a bunch in Saudi got rolled a couple of months ago," said Ptaki shaking her head. "We hauled them here to Wiesbaden."

"That was us," said Wendy. "We just got sprung."

"Yer shittin me," said Ptaki.

"Can't win fer losin'," replied Don.

"Man! Sucks to be you," moaned Ptaki shaking her head.

"Damn skippy," said Don sadly.

Several years ago, Lanh would have thought this exchange was conducted in an alien language, as alien as Don initially considered Vietnamese. Years of listening to Don's co-workers and hearing the lingo, she knew exactly what they were talking about, it's about pain communicated without using the language that accompanies agony. "I feel so helpless," is just whining but "This shit sucks," is bitching. It is an enlisted man's inalienable right to bitch, and it can be used to communicate feelings that he or she would never say aloud. Seating was soon arranged for Lanh and Zoomer and soon the huge aircraft was airborne.

Fifteen hours after takeoff the C-17 lumbered to a stop in front of the hangars that the members of the Four Twenty Nineth called home. Most of their cargo and passengers were dropped off at their first stop at Andrews AFB, Virginia, so the big bird was almost empty when it touched down on the ancient runways at Canon AFB in New Mexico. The medics helped Don and Wendy into their wheelchairs and Zoomer produced two leather flight jackets emblazoned with MSgt Campbell and SSgt Addams on the name patch. He also provided them with Twenty Seventh Fighter Wing ball caps, a cap that he designed himself and had made at a shop in Frankfurt.

They were wheeled off the plane and Ralph and Sandy were there to meet them, along with the entire Nguyen family. Lanh tried to hold them back, but they all wanted to greet Don. Rosa and Bao's girls Chau and Sophia were shocked to see their Uncle Don in a wheelchair and started crying. But there was no time for a family reunion as Don and Wendy lined up along with the rest of their squadron and held a salute as the honor guard carried the flag draped coffin containing their friend Cynthia from the back of the C-17 to her final rest.

PHOTOGRAPH

Two coeds, a blond and a brunette, both wearing graduation cap and gowns are sitting on a bed kissing goodbye

"You dreamed about Reggie again last night," said Norma. The sexy, athletic sports medicine scholar bustled around the room making sure that everything was packed up. In two more hours they would graduate, get their diplomas and be on their way.

"Ah know! Ah couldn' find the little booger. Ah looked and looked and looked, then I found him layin' on mah bed snuggled up with mah teddy bear." Karole's only salute to girlhood was a five-foot-tall teddy bear. It was a beat-up old thing given to her by one "Uncle" or another and it was almost the only thing that followed her from one trailer to another as her mother's "relationships" soured.

Reggie is Karole's dream baby, Karole had a horrible upbringing, she had no permanent home, her mother dragged her from one boyfriend's house to another where she mostly lived on the couch. Karole always dreamed that she would have a baby and name him Reggie then tell everyone that he was named after her father, the problem is that Karole had no idea who her father was, which may be the reason why Reggie was important to her as a little girl, it would give her a link to a man she knew nothing about. Reggie was a secret, she never told anybody about him until she went off to college and he became more and more real, living in her psyche and affecting her waking life until she told her roommate all about him.

Karole was a lonely child, she spent most of her time avoiding the cocks of her mother's boyfriends protecting her virginity for that "perfect boy." She was called "Trailer Trash" and "White Trash" by her school mates so she grew up alone, amusing herself with activities she could do far from the judging eyes of her classmates. When Karole was twelve, she would go fishing in the Okefenokee swamp for catfish and she would take some catfish to an old witch in the swamp named Grandma Noah. One day Grandma Noah told her that she was going to have five children and her first baby boy she was going to name Reggie which freaked out the girl because she never told anybody about Reggie. Here at the University of Georgia she had been dreaming of Reggie more and more lately.

Not long ago she had a dream that she was losing Reggie, she couldn't explain how or why she thought that she was losing him, all she knew was that she was losing him. The dream went on for hours, terror and sorrow filled her heart and then it stopped and left her so exhausted she was unable to go to class.

Last night's dream that she couldn't find Reggie didn't terrify her, she knew deep down that he was safe, it just upset her that she couldn't see him, she searched through a huge house when she found him snuggled up with that ratty old stuffed bear she knew that he was safe well cared for.

"Make sure you have that bear packed with all of your stuff," said Norma as she zipped up her suitcase. Neither girl had much stuff to move, all that Karole brought was a very small inefficient refrigerator, a tiny microwave, a big teddy bear, and a laptop. When she finished with her textbooks, she sold most of them, and having no boyfriends there were no gifts to pack, dispose of, or return. She didn't even have mail to pack, having no living relatives (that she knows of) she received only junk mail and a few magazines.

"Damn girl! It looks like you were never here!"

Karole stood, adjusted her mortarboard and smiled. "I even packed all of my clothes," she opened her gown to show Norma that under the gown she was completely naked.

"I dare you to go to graduation like that," gasped Norma.

"I will if you will," said Karole with an evil grin.

Norma stood and opened her gown to reveal that all she was wearing was a pair of thigh high black nylons. "I'm way ahead of you," she grinned as she held up her only other accessory, a pair of high heel fuck-me pumps. The moisture glistening on Norma's inner thighs told Karole that Norma had something on her mind. They melted into each other's arms and their mouths met in gentle kiss that got blistering hot quickly.

As they kissed Norma eased Karole's gown off of her shoulders and Karole lowered her arms to let the gown puddle on the floor, then Karole felt herself being guided toward Norma's side of the room. Her hands stroked and squeezed Norma's firm, round butt for what she realized would be the last time. Just as when she tried to probe Norma's asshole with an exploring finger, she felt her calves bump against Norma's bed and Norma gave her a sudden push and Karole was sprawled across Norma's bed and Norma was suddenly on her.

Giggling, Karole started fighting back and as they wrestled Norma stretched out across Karole grabbing her wrist. Her position lined her breast up with Karole's mouth and Karole took advantage of the situation and her mouth sucked in Norma's breast, her tongue flickering and teasing her until the sensations caused her nipple to harden, and then Karole's teeth bit down on Norma's nipple sending electric shocks of pleasure through Norma's body. It almost caused her to stop what she was doing, but she was able to get Karole's wrist locked into the manacle that was secured to the bedpost.

Emboldened by that small victory, Norma continued to struggle against Karole until she got Karole's free arm locked into the manacle on the other bedpost and now, she was trapped, just like Karole had her last week. They lay panting after their titanic struggle, their bodies covered with a light sheen of perspiration "I'm going to miss you mija" smiled Norma, "I'm going to miss this bleached hair..."

"Hey!"

"...and these big fake boobies..."

"They're real! OhMiGodd!" Norma started suckling and nipping on Karole's nipples, which for some reason were extra sensitive after spending the night dreaming of Reggie. Norma settled down and started to make love those magnificent breasts, so round and firm, they had to be fake but they were completely real. Three years of play and experience taught Norma that Karole's breasts were as real as her own B cup breasts. Was it jealousy that caused Norma to spend so much time playing with Karole's breasts or was it scientific curiosity? One thing is for certain, after dreaming of Reggie at night Karole's breasts were always ultra-sensitive the next day and Norma planned to see if she could get Karole to cum just from stimulating those big, beautiful boobs.

Norma switched from the left to the right nipple, her tongue washing over the nipple as her mouth sucked in a large portion of the breast. At the same time her hand was pinching and twirling her left nipple between finger and thumb. Karole stopped fighting the sensations coming from Norma's attention that fades from aggressive to gentle and back, and just accepted the fact that Norma wants to use Karole's body and tied up there's nothing Karole can do but submit to her sexy roommate and enjoy.

Norma switched her attention back to Karole's left breast by leaving a trail of gentle nips from the right breast, down the slope of that magnificent orb, and up the other fleshy mound to the turgid nipple that was erect in anticipation. Karole was out of her mind with pleasure, she rolled her head and arched her back mewling and gasping in desire as Norma kissed and sucked one nipple then the other, Karole alternately tried to escape Norma's touches then tried to push her breast into Norma's mouth more firmly.

Karole's excitement was growing but she soon felt like she was caught on a plateau, she was caught needing to cum, but she felt stuck, unable to get over that last little bit that's holding her back. "Please," she begged Norma. For her part, Norma knew she could send Karole to the stars with a well-aimed flick of her tongue, but she wanted to see if it were possible to make Karole cum just through stimulating her breasts.

"Cum for me mija," whispered Norma, "te amo."

"I love you too!" gasped Karole and suddenly she was cumming. Waves of the built-up sexual tension flowed out of her, one after another. She gasped and sighed, it was so sweet and so different from other climaxes that Norma has wrung out of her. It was not a big orgasm but it helped.

"Do you mija? Do you love me?" Norma asked. She looked up from what she was doing to Karole's breasts. The girls stopped their impassioned lovemaking and gazed into each other's eyes. "More than Mickey Fields?"

Karole scoffed gently; Mickey Fields was the jerk who took her virginity. She protected her virginity from a never-ending string of "uncles" and gave it to the quarterback of the football team, who took it then never saw her again. "Three and Out Mickey" was his nickname and it applied to more than just his "skill" at football. "Much more," sighed Karole. "You were always here for me; you were the only one who ever did that for me."

"Oh mija," said Norma as she moved around on the bed, "I'll be there when you need me, we're sorority sisters, aren't we?"

Karole laughed at the bittersweet joke, she and Norma were what was called LUGs, Lesbian Until Graduation. They used each other to work out their sexual urges without fear of pregnancy, which put them in the fictional Eta Bita Pi sorority. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Norma had moved so that their legs were intertwined, and their pussies were now touching. She produced a bottle of lube and poured a bit of the slippery lotion on the joint where their pussies met. "This is our sorority handshake," Norma said as she began to move her pussy against Karole's. Norma had a wicked sense of humor and Karole truly hoped that Norma eventually finds a man who doesn't get upset with Norma's vast library of dick jokes. But for their two remaining hours, Norma was hers.

Their pussies rubbed together for what seemed like hours to Karole, it felt so good, it didn't get her off but Norma was loving it and she loved watching Norma enjoy it. Norma's clit was pressed against Karole's clean-shaven labia and the friction caused their hips twitching and it gave Norma a sweet, beautiful orgasm. For the two lovers this position allowed them to see the faces of their lover, while their ordinary fare of oral sex prevented that from happening, this allowed them to see the reaction and expressions of their lover as they climbed to their climax. Norma's eyes closed and her head turned from side to side as she was overwhelmed by the intensity of her passion, the bed was suddenly wet from her gush of fluids which warmly washed over Karole.

"One last time?" asked Norma as she got her breath back.

"One last time," agreed Karole, and the Hispanic athlete knee walked up the bed and crouched over Karole bringing her still trembling pussy down to Karole's mouth. She started by plunging her tongue as deep into Norma's pussy as she could go over and over. They both knew from experience that it felt good, but it wasn't going to make Norma cum. After enjoying Karole's wiggling tongue in her pussy, Norma lifted up, shifted a little, then presented her tingling clit to Karole's mouth.

Karole went to town on Norma's clit, licking and suckling on it like it was a nipple. After that awesome cum from scissoring there was no way that Norma could hold back and soon Karole had her arching her back and pinching and twisting her own nipples. "Madre de Dios!" Norma cried as an explosive orgasm originated in her pussy and spread through her entire body, the waves of release spreading out through her whole body, even the palms of her hands felt the wave of pleasure . Her juices squirted into Karole's mouth in a sexy final farewell and her body collapsed next to Karole.

As Norma recovered the use of her body, she pulled herself up to kiss Karole and Karole asked her, "One last time?"

Norma agreed sadly, "One last time," and as she released Karole's manacles Karole was able to nip and suck at Norma's breasts. Breaking away from Karole's mouth Norma began to kiss and lick her way down the leggy blond goddesses' body to her pussy.

Karole was ready to pop, the breast orgasm was interesting, but it left her wanting more, then scissoring left her starving for more. Being queened by Norma itself was a huge turn-on, so in the end Karole was nearly shrieking with desire. Norma started gently licking Karole's outer labia but Karole wasn't going to have anything to do with that. She twined her fingers in Norma's hair and directed Norma's mouth to her clit. "Please darling, don't leave me hanging," she whimpered.

Norma just winked and began suckling on Karole's clit just as Karole did her earlier. It would be safe to say that they taught each other well. Soon Karole was rhythmically gasping as Norma's tongue drove her to heights of passion that she never thought possible. "Oh God!" gasped Karole trying to keep quiet as girls were trooping up and down the hall outside, "Don't stop!" she growled softly. Her body was as taught as a bow-string, every muscle was bunched tight, the only parts of her body that touched the mattress was the back of her head and her heels. She arched higher and higher, trembling and whimpering and when she felt Norma's finger tickling her puckered asshole her orgasm hit with the magnitude of a Category 5 Hurricane. She drover her pussy into Norma's face again and again as waves of ecstasy shattered over her and slowly they released their grip on the exhausted blond.

Later they sat on Karole's bed and relaxed over their last cup of coffee together, their cars were packed and all that was left was the graduation. "Why Colorado?" Norma asked for the umpteenth time. "What is there in Colorado?"

Karole smiled, they've been through this before, Norma wants her to stay in Georgia, maybe work in the same hospital. Norma is sports medicine, Karole found that she had a love of respiratory therapy. "That's where my patients are going to be," Karole said. "There's some great respiratory clinics there, and I have an offer from the University Hospital and an offer from Mountain Sports Medicine." She didn't say that Grandma Noah told her that her future lies in Denver, Grandma Noah said, "A city a mile up," which for someone raised in the Okefenokee swamp at an altitude of 50 feet, is an insanely high altitude, can a human live there? "Why don't you come with me?" begged Karole. "There's skiing and hiking and snowboarding, people are falling all over those mountains just hoping you're at the bottom of the hill for them."

"Uh uh, no way," insisted Norma, "Denver is an AFC town, I'm staying right here with my Bulldogs and my Falcons." The truth was, the boyfriend that she never told Karole about is waiting to whisk her away to a motel shortly after the graduation ceremony.

"At least keep me updated, call me anytime something happens, I don't care what, ok?" begged Karole.

"You just want to know about all the dick I'm getting," grinned Norma conspiratorially.

"You know that girlfriend!" They leaned on each other laughing and shared their last kiss before heading off to their separate futures.

PHOTOGRAPH

Don is sitting in his wingback chair holding a baby while in the background Lanh naps on the couch, a relaxed smile on her face. There is peace in his expression that hasn't been seen in ages as he holds the baby bottle for the child, yet there were tears drying on his cheeks.

"Unka Don's here! Unka Don's here!" The twins raced across the lawn of Campbell's farm, their mother Ahnjong, a high-powered corporate lawyer of Korean descent dressed in jeans and a tank top, chased them across the lawn terrified that they'd get run over by Lanh's huge SUV as she backed up to the back door, where Ralph had built a wheelchair ramp for Don. The Campbell farm has become a sort of recreation area for the Nguyen family. Family picnics and gatherings are held on the wide lush lawns and at the pond. Except for Trung and Angela they all got married here in the Apple Orchard Gazebo that was built "temporarily" for Lanh and Don's wedding. Since Kim-ly moved in it's been a haven for the growing families including all four of Sandy's girls and their kids.

As the SUV pulled in, the twins came running because there's no better fun for a three-year-old than to ride on the lap of their favorite uncle as he wheels through Grandpa Ralph's house in his wheelchair or takes them for rides in the hay wagon, or rides in the rowboat out on the pond. For the past three months when "Unka Don" comes home from rehab the twins Anh and Him-chan are there, ready to help. They set the brakes for his wheelchair, they help carry his bags in the house, they fetch him drinks, and they're ready for snacks with Unka Don at the big dining table in the dining room.

Since returning from Germany Don has been in rehab at the USAF Hospital in Grand Forks North Dakota, and University Health, the big new UND hospital that now specializes in trauma recovery. He has lived there for three months getting his body back together, now he's on a split schedule, two weeks in the hospital, then a week or two at home, depending on his recovery progress. Officially he is assigned to the staff of the 27th Fighter Wing education office and working remotely at the hospital and the family farm. Colonel Gilliam is putting his Ed.D to use in streamlining and upgrading the educational programs in the 27th Fighter wing.

Now it's time to relax. This weekend is the Fourth Of July, and the family has gathered to celebrate with Don and Lanh. Lanh shut off the engine and hopped out of the driver seat of the SUV as normal and went to the back and opened up the hatch while Anh (Little Annie) and Him-chan waited by the passenger side door for Don to get out. They're used to Lanh unfolding the wheelchair and coming around to help Don get out of the SUV and into the wheelchair and were chattering in excitement waiting for Auntie Lanh to hurry up with Unka Don's chair. Tam stepped out onto the big front porch to watch, she was nursing her youngest boy Arlo, her other two boys Chip and Liam came racing out of the barn when they heard that Don had arrived.

Instead of pulling out the wheelchair, Lanh grabbed Don's suitcase and called "Are you coming em yêu?"

"Be right there!" Don called. His door opened and his "Fan club" watched in amazement as Don planted a cane and stepped out of the SUV and stood on his feet. He stepped forward toward the twins and they gasped.

"HE'S WALKING!" cried Him-chan as Don stepped up to the small crowd of small people and rubbed them on the head. It was slow, painful, and uncertain, but it was walking.

"Come on Unka Don! We're making hammerburgers!" Anh grabbed the little finger of his free hand and led her Unka Don to the house where he grew up. She was sure that standing up the house looks a lot different than when you're in a wheelchair and she didn't want her Unka Don to get lost. Him-chan followed dragging Don's backpack which weighs almost as much as he does.

The parents of the twins, Ahnjong and Huy wanted to honor their ancestry when naming the twins, with Ahnjong being Korean and Huy being Vietnamese, they decided to name their girl with a Vietnamese name, and their boy with a Korean name, so Ahn and Him-chan were selected. Having the first letter of their name match the first letter of their parents' names pleased the legalese filled minds of their parents. To Lanh it made no sense at all and now there's three "Annies" in her life to sort out.

With Lanh and Little Annie leading the way, Don stepped into the kitchen where his stepmother Sandy gasped in surprise when she saw him on his feet. "OH MY GOD!" she gasped and gently threw her arms around him "You look so good standing up! You should do it more often!"

"Thanks mom," he said rolling his eyes. Even though she's been married to his dad as long as he's been married to Lanh, he still can't get over the fact that the woman he knew his whole life as the church pianist is now his stepmom. Lanh's mother Mai came bustling into the kitchen when she heard his voice and practically shouted in surprise when she saw Don standing. She called for Kim-ly in rapid fire Vietnamese. Kim-ly came out of the apartment and saw Don standing and ran up behind him, throwing her arms around him. "You're fixed!" she cried.

"No, I'm still firing live rounds," he replied with a grin. Kim-ly gave him a swat in the ass to which he remarked "Ok, I deserve that one." Don was worried about Kim-ly, when he first started dating Lanh, she treated him like a little brother, but as time rolled on, she was showing more and more affection towards him. He mentioned it to Lanh, and she told Don that he was imagining things, but he still remembers sitting in the hospital in Germany, fighting the pain and the fog of anesthesia and Kim-ly whispering in his ear, "I thought I lost you."

"You're walking so good!" cried Mai, as she admired her son-in-law's mobility with a tinge of sadness. There's something broken in his heart, and she sees it in his eyes.

"I hope so, I've been sitting on my ass for seven months dreaming of this moment," Don hugged his mother-in-law, then he whispered "Mẹ là mẹ chồng yêu thích của tôi." (You're my favorite mother-in-law).

She looked up at him with a smile and in Vietnamese quietly said, "Very good! You're getting much better." Lanh had told her that she's been teaching him Vietnamese, and he practices with her to the point where they can spend the entire day speaking her parent's native language. He stutters and sputters and quite often gets it wrong, but he tries. If asked he will refuse to admit that he can speak Vietnamese because his enunciation is so horrible, but he understands every word he hears now.

"Now we can talk sexy to each other on the phone while there's someone in the room with me," he grinned. They do but quite often Lanh breaks down in giggles at his "creative pronunciation."

"Oh, stop," Mai smiled. "There's someone in the living room that wants to see you."

"Ok, let's see who it is," said Don and he hobbled to the living room followed by an animated cloud of nieces and nephews watching his every move. In the living room he found Ralph and Duong watching a Minnesota Twins baseball game and they leapt up to greet him, then Tam stepped in from the porch with her youngest son Arlo. "Can I hold him? Please?" Don asked.

"Sit first," said Tam sternly. Don shooed Chip and Liam out of his favorite chair, then slowly sat down, and Tam handed him her beautiful little boy. "He's pretty fussy," she warned, "I can't get him to calm down."

"Aww, he wants to see his Unka Don, don't you little fella?" said Don as he tried to contain the squirming three-month-old who looked up at him curiously. Tam was worried that he would break free of Don, so she stayed close just in case. After teasing and tickling little Arlo, Don began to softly sing:

"You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant (including Alice)

You can get anything you want... at Alice's restaurant

Walk right in it's around the back

Just a half a mile from the railroad track

You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant."

By the time he sang the little folksy refrain a third time, Arlo was asleep. "Where did you get that old song from?" she asked. She hasn't heard it in decades.

Don looked at her like she was crazy. "Arlo," was his only explanation. She shook her head, still not getting it. Don sighed, "Arlo Guthrie? Woody Guthrie's boy? Alice's Restaurant?"

Realization dawned over Tam, "Seriously???" Her head slowly turned, her gaze fell on her husband who, if he could see the look on her face, would be running. Fast.

Her husband Jake was sitting in a chair near Don reading a braille book, turned to her general direction. "I thought you knew..." then he started singing softly and Don joined in:

"I don't want a pickle

I just want to ride on my motor sickle.
And I don't wanna tickle

I just want to ride on my motor sickle.

And IIIIIIIII don't wanna die

I just want to ride on my motor syyyyyy........ cul."

With a huff, Tam put her burp rag on Don's shoulder and stormed out of the room. Men! But for his part Don leaned back and enjoyed the afternoon, the warm sun streaming through the window, the warm sleepy baby in his arms, the monotonous drone of the baseball coverage, his wife curled up in the love seat near him. He thought that maybe the pain was worth it because it released him from his sworn duty. He's done playing soldier, he's Home. The thought that he was Home made his heart leap... Home! That wonderful, heartwarming word, the single syllable that describes so much comfort. Home -- so heady and delicious. A fragment of the poem "Soldier from the wars returning" by A. E. Houseman came to mind.

Rest you, charger, rust you, bridle;

Kings and kesars, keep your pay;

Soldier, sit you down and idle

At the inn of night for aye.

... and he thought horribly injured Wendy whose husband and child fled in horror, of poor Cynthia lying alone in the cold dirt, soon to be forgotten, and the tears began to flow, and not for the last time.

PHOTOGRAPH

A large family frolics on the shore of a lake at sunset. There's a large bonfire, children splashing each other in the lake, parents on lawn chairs watching the fun, in the background can be seen the smoke trail a bottle rocket as it begins it assent.

Don and Lanh relaxed on loungers looking up at the night sky, not a cloud in the sky, the stars were burning brightly, and little waves gurgled on the shore of the pond. "Whatcha thinking about?" asked Lanh.

"The stars, I don't remember looking at them while I was in." To a veteran the term "while I was in" means "while I was on active duty," but Don is still on active duty. His job is to rehabilitate now. He continued, "I saw them while working nights, but I wasn't looking at them, except Arcturus. I was mostly looking for my airplanes... I barely saw them at all in Korea."

"It was too smoggy," she agreed.

"And smokey!" he said, "during rice burning season it was the worst!" In the autumn the farmers burn off the rice stubble from their rice paddies and the air was thick with acrid white smoke that stung the eyes and nostrils.

"Don't remind me!" then she added, "but I'm glad we decided to go there."

"Yeah," smiled Don. "I think we were the leading importers of illicit custom-made Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Twins jackets for two years running."

"Gawd! And how many mink blankets and quilts did we send back?"

"We still have a half dozen, maybe more in our hold baggage," said Don referring to their household goods the USAF has in storage until Don and Lanh announce the location of their permanent home.

"Gifts," said Lanh.

"I should have gotten more brass while I was in Turkey." Don is crazy about Turkish brass items and sent as many pieces home as he could afford every time he went on temporary duty to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. "I love those shepherds' lanterns."

"Speaking of buying things," said Lanh squeezing his hand, "I need to start looking for work, your pay is going to be slashed substantially in five months."

"Yep, Merry Christmas Sergeant Campbell, now get the hell out." Don's last day of active duty is scheduled to be January first, then he becomes a ward of the VA. He will lose his BAS and BAQ, these are the allowances he gets for food and housing which is a substantial amount of money, and his base pay will be slashed in half for retirement. "Maybe I can get a paper route."

"Northern Colorado University has asked me to interview, and so has the Weld County Children's Hospital. When you go back to rehab, Kim-ly and I are going to drop you off at Grand Forks, then we'll go to Denver for some interviews." It wasn't a question, Lanh was in the driver's seat now and Don was comfortable with that. There's a lot of strength in that tiny body of hers and he can't drive now, so he has to follow.

"Unka Don! Look!" Suddenly Anh and Him-chan appeared out of nowhere and held their sparklers in front of Don's face, close enough for the sparkles to touch him as the sparklers burned down. Don was suddenly blinded.

"Oh how pretty!" laughed Lanh. She was laughing mostly at Don's reaction.

"There goes my night vision," said Don. How did these munchkins sneak up on him so expertly? "Come here you!" He pulled the giggling, sparkler wielding twins on to his lap. "Now watch what your daddy and uncle Trung do." Over by the shore of the pond Huy and Trung had set up their fireworks and mortars. Kim-ly arrived with a cooler full of wine coolers and the little ones were soon joined by Tam and Jake's boys Chip and Liam. Soon Bao and Rosa appeared with their girls Chau and Sophia.

When Bao hurried off to join Huy and Trung with their fireworks preparations, Chau and Sophia joined their cousins playing with Auntie Lanh, Unka Don, and Auntie Kimmy who sat to Don's left. They laughed and played and giggled, running around Don's lounger, wrestling on his lap, and generally exhausted Don, but he did his duty and kept the little ones from playing in the fire or falling in the pond and away from the three Nguyen brothers as they prepared their display, and their moms got a well-deserved break.

They were all here, all of the Nguyen family and their spouses. Mai and Duong sat in their lounge chairs further up the bank and could look down on their family as the grandchildren played among the assembled adults. This was it; this is what their parents risked their lives for, this one perfect evening filled with love, and laughter, cold beer and mosquito repellent. This was worth all the pain and suffering it took to escape a murderous communist regime and bring their family to freedom. It was worth the sweat, hard work and tears to raise their children and get them all here at this place at this point of time. They held hands and chatted softly in their native language until they were joined by Sandy and Ralph.

"You ok there gyreen?" asked Duong as he handed Ralph a beer from his cooler.

Ralph twisted off the cap from the bottle. "Just wishing my Emily could see this."

"And my Wally," added Sandy as she sipped her wine cooler.

"I'm sure they're watching right now," said Mai. They were interrupted by the cough of a mortar and suddenly a sparkling, glowing chrysanthemum of color erupted in the sky, then the pop of the charge going off reached their ears long after the firework exploded. Don gathered all the children to him to watch the show.

Don was covered with six nieces and nephews, the only one missing was Arlo, but he was nearby sleeping in his father's arms. Don and the children watched the fireworks show in one happy pile complimenting each mortar and rocket with a group "Oooooo" or an "Ahhhh." Lanh watched Don and the children rather than the fireworks and wondered if she had the right to separate Don from this, he looked so happy, but if she gets that job in Colorado, she knows he'll pick up and move without a question. He said he would and that is that. She looked up at the stars and wondered if this was the right direction to take their lives.

PHOTOGRAPH

Lanh is alone in a rowboat in the middle of the lake. She's standing at the stern shouting encouragement to Don who is swimming in the lake

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Lanh as they rowed out to the middle of Lost Long Lake.

"I'm positive," said Don as he pulled at the oars of Grumpy Ode's Jon boat. His arms were coming along quickly, but his legs needed a lot of work. The bones were healing nicely but the leg muscles need help. Don hated the exercises that rebab has him going through, he was an athlete, he knew what he had to do.

The cabin at Lost Long Lake had passed to Don's Aunt Melinda, his mom's oldest sister. Everyone in the family said that it belonged to Lanh because Ode gave it to her, but there was nothing in his or Hilde's will about the cabin, so it passed to Aunt Milly who honored her dad's affection for Lanh and let Lanh borrow the cabin any time she wants. "If you claim in court that Dad gave it to you, I won't fight it," Aunt Milly told Lanh shortly after Lars' funeral. Her husband Rick isn't a hunter or a fisherman, so they rarely use it.

"I couldn't do that," said Lanh softly remembering the kindly old gentleman that everyone was terrified of and the sweetness and respect he showed her. While Don was in Basic Training, he helped take care of Lanh who was lonely and sad. When Don was in Germany and she was alone, he brought her out to Lost Long Lake quite often and helped her with her ice fishing skills and soon she became an avid angler. Hilde passed away while they were in Germany and Ode passed away while they were in Grand Forks, and they attended his funeral. She still remembered how nice the VFW Honor Guard was after his funeral, listening to Ode stories long into the night. She couldn't besmirch his memory by dragging his family through court.

It was getting late in the summer, the leaves were starting to turn, small patches of autumn color were beginning to appear on the trees, evenings were starting to get cooler, and the kids were heading back to school. Don felt he had to do this before the lake water got too cold. He and Lanh are spending this "Rehab Release" week at the cabin fishing, talking about the future, and slowly rebuilding their sex life. Don hoped that his idea would help with the latter. As they got to an area he liked, he shipped the oars and slowly moved to the stern fishing platform while Lanh got ready with the boat hook they brought.

Don slipped off his sneakers and dangled his weak, pain riddled legs off of the stern, his feet dangling in the water. He started taking deep, deep breaths, hyperventilating, building up the oxygen level in his blood. Then before Lanh realized what was happening, Don slipped out of his flotation vest and slid into the water.

Lanh jumped up on the stern fishing deck with the boat hook and looked into the water, he was supposed to keep his life vest on! but she couldn't see anything, no bubbles, no hint of movement, no Don. She looked around desperately, until he surfaced just a couple of yards from the boat. The look on his face was blissful, the happiest he had been in ages. After a decade Don was in the water again, back where he belonged, the scene of his greatest successes with Lanh at his side. "Pace me," he said as he started a lazy Australian Crawl.

"You dumbshit," she muttered with a smile, and she got on the oars and began calling out her traditional encouragement; "Nhanh lên!" He swam an easy twenty-five yards, then did a lackadaisical flip turn. She spun the boat on its axis, got a little ahead of him then stood up on the stern platform and took a picture with her phone. "Nhanh lên!"

After a total of about 70 yards Don stopped swimming and waved his hand. Lanh turned the boat and eased the bow up to Don. He grabbed the bow and pulled himself up a little bit, resting on his elbows and surgery scared forearms on the fore fishing deck. Lanh scrambled forward and lay down, so they were nose to nose. After a congratulatory kiss she asked, "How was it?"

"I'm out of shape, but I felt at home, back where I belong with you at my side," his grin of accomplishment wouldn't fade as he panted for breath.

She gave him a swat on the head. "Good! Ya dumbshit, you scare crap out of me! I not find you! I think you drowned!" her English language skills still fall apart when she's upset, but they're finding that she can swear with the best of them when she's upset.

He put his hand on her cheek and gave her a kiss. How could he express what he felt as he entered the water? It was like... his legs started working properly, without his weight on them he could move his legs any way he wanted without the searing pain that comes with each step. It was like being whole again. It was like the feeling he felt when he walked into the house on the July fourth weekend, like he was really home. "It just felt good," was all he could say. His degree is in education, not poetry.

Then they found out that Don couldn't get back in the boat, he no longer had the arm strength to pull himself aboard. "Oh you dumbshit," she groaned as she tried to pull him aboard.

After trying to get him abord he eventually settled for clinging onto the bow while Lanh rowed back to shore. "You know, that's the second time you called me dumbshit," he said as they neared shore.

"No, it's the second time you heard me call you dumbshit," she corrected.

"I suppose I earned it."

"Yes, you did." It was so good to be almost normal.

Not long later both Ralph and Mai received a picture sent to their phones of Don swimming in the lake. Ralph slid into a nearby kitchen chair, shuddering, near to tears in relief. His worst nightmare is coming to an end, his boy, the high school athlete, is swimming again.

PHOTOGRAPH

Don is bending over the fender of an old GMC pickup truck, obviously working on the engine. Lanh is next to him, standing on a stepstool shining a shop light on Don's work.

Ever since he got home Don and his dad have been working on the old GMC pickup truck that's been sitting in the tractor shed for the past five years. Don had drove it when he was stationed at Grand Forks but stored it again when he went to Korea for three years, then two more years in New Mexico. Now he's done from wandering, he took off his stripes, it's time to get back to being Don Campbell, farmer.

After changing the plugs, plug wires, and the distributer cap he checked the oil and all other fluids, then he sprayed a little ether down the carburetor he turned to Lanh and said "Wanna fire her up?"

Lanh loved this truck, so many memories were in it! It was the first vehicle that she ever drove that wasn't a tractor. "Yeah baby!" She hopped in the dusty cab, cranked the seat forward, set the brake, put it in neutral, stepped on the clutch and turned the key. It cranked a few times then one at a time the cylinders started firing until all six were purring away. Don checked the timing; it was dead on. With a smile he closed the hood and said, "Let's go for a ride!"

He and his dad had cleared a path out for the truck to get out of the tractor shed, so he put his tools away then hopped in the truck. Lanh had slid over to the passenger seat and was waiting, smiling in anticipation of taking the old truck out for a run. He got in carefully, slammed the driver's door closed and suddenly everything changed. The last thing he remembered seeing was the beautiful smile on Lanh's face, then everything went dark, the passenger side of the truck was the exhaust of a jet engine pointed directly at him, it suddenly got scalding hot, he couldn't breathe, flames spewed out of the jet engine coming straight at him, the truck started collapsing around him, he felt like he was floating, he couldn't tell up from down, then the steering wheel came at him, trying to drive its way into his chest, the air was filled with shards of shattered glass, the truck started to crumple in on him like a crushed can... he couldn't breathe... everything went purple...

He remembered that he heard Lanh scream, "RALPH! CALL NINE ONE ONE!" but he didn't know why. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, the world slowly came into focus, and he was looking up at a paramedic.

"Doctor Campbell! Doctor Campbell!"

"What's going on? Why can't I move my arms?" Don started to panic, was he trapped in his own body again?

"Doctor Campbell, it's ok, you had a little fall, we want to look at you." The paramedic looked far more concerned than one would for a "Little Fall." Don felt the blood pressure cuff tightening on his arm and the pulse/ox detector on his finger.

"Why can't I move my arms?"

"Shhh! It's ok! It's ok!" Now he was looking up at Lanh, her face was creased with concern, tears in her eyes. "You're on a stretcher, we're going to transport you to Bemidji General."

"Why? I'm ok."

Now Kim-ly's face came into view. "Don, you've been in convulsions for nearly a half hour."

~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~

Don sat in a small room alone. He closed the blinds and turned off all the lights and sat in an uncomfortable chair, lonely. Alone. He was being held for observation and he was refusing to talk to anyone but Lanh or Tam. He even dismissed his dad. It wasn't that they wanted him to see a shrink that angered him, he just didn't want to be in a hospital. Being in a hospital took away his air force career, being in a hospital took away his daughter Sue Lin, being in a hospital robbed him of his friend and co-worker Cynthia and shattered Wendy, and one moment longer in a hospital than he wanted was eating at his soul. He wanted to get back to Lanh, he wanted to hold Arlo more. He wanted Home.

Just as he was at his lowest and angriest, a nurse named Lewis came in. Don didn't like Lewis; Lewis is short, ugly, smarmy, and self-righteous. "Why are we sitting in the dark, Mister Campbell?"

"It's Doctor. Doctor Campbell."

"Oh? We're a doctor?"

"No Lewis, I'm a doctor, you're a nurse."

"Please get in the bed Mister Campbell," Lewis was getting angry now.

"My proper term of address is Doctor."

"Mister Campbell, don't make me put you in bed."

Don sat in his chair and glared at Lewis. "You can try..."

~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~

Ahnjong "Annie" Nguyen arrived at Bemidji General a little past one PM the next day. Huy had received a frantic call from Lanh saying that they wouldn't let anyone in to see Don and had no estimate when he would be "safe to visit." Since the hospital is one of Huy's clients he asked Annie to look into it for him. Annie is one of the sweetest humans on the face of the earth, but she has what is commonly called a "Resting Bitch Face." When she relaxes her facial muscles, she looks mean, and she uses that to her advantage in the court room and when dealing face to face especially while taking depositions.

However today she didn't need her RBF, she really was angry. Annie loves Don and Lanh and is sick and tired of all the hell they've been put through. And Don is a blessing that anyone with twin toddlers needs, a babysitter that loves the kids and the kids love him. He can relax the most wound-up child and do it with little Arlo sleeping in his arm. He's available 24/7 and has no problem at all if date night goes all night long. He'll think nothing of it if he is tasked to watch all seven Nguyen grandchildren and he'll love every minute of it.

NOBODY fucks with MY babysitter!

Ahnjong stepped up to the reception desk and said, "I would like to see Donovan Campbell, room 430."

The reception clerk looked up Don on her terminal then sweetly said, "Mister Campbell isn't seeing visitors today."

Ahnjong opened her notebook and made note of the time and then insured her RBF was dialed up to ten. "I'm not a visitor, I'm his attorney, and it's Doctor Campbell." She laid her business card on the counter and slid it toward the clerk. "I am going to need your name and employee ID number."

The clerk, Mary Anne Jensen, reminded Annie of Don's stepmother Sandy, just a sweet lady that doesn't mean any harm. "You will have to speak to Doctor Harland, he's the one who signed the order."

"Just in case I can't get ahold of Doctor Harland, who is his supervisor?"

Marry Anne looked uncomfortable, but she spilled the beans, "that would be Doctor Erikson, he's the head of psychiatric."

"Thank you," and Annie turned and took the elevator up to the fourth floor where she went straight to room 430. Entering she found Don held to the bed in restraints. "Kinky!" she grinned snapping a picture, "Lanh will love this on date night. What did you do now?"

"I didn't do nuttin, not dis time," Don grinned. "I'm innocent I tell ya! I'm innocent!" and he rattled his wrist restraints, "Ya gotta get me outta here! Da warden's got it in for me, see?" doing his best tough guy voice. Then he looked at the door, "How did you get permission to come in here?"

"I didn't, as YOU so often tell me, it's easier to get forgiveness than permission. The guard should be coming through that door any second. Am I right?" as she continued to take photographs of the room.

Don shrugged, "They don't come in here very often, actually..." he thought for a moment, "I haven't seen anyone since breakfast at seven AM." Ahnjong looked at her watch, it was one thirty in the afternoon. An orderly came through the door moments later. He was a big fellow, at least six foot five and easily three hundred pounds. He glared at Annie like he was going to eat the five foot one inch tall woman.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Mister Campbell is not seeing visitors," growled the orderly.

"That's Doctor Campbell to you," said Don. "And stand straight Mongo, your knuckles are dragging again."

"Mongo" glared at Don, but his glare returned to Annie. "I'm sorry mister... Swenson? Is that right?" she peered at his name tag. "I'm not a visitor, I'm his attorney, and if you do anything other than release Doctor Campbell or bring Doctor Erikson to me immediately, I will be spending the weekend figuring out how to resell your house and Don will be driving your truck." She handed him her business card. "Now go... shoo!"

When Mongo had left, she turned to Don, "What did you do now?"

"I didn't do anything, I swear!" Don tried to shrug his shoulders. "I just wanted the night nurse to address me as doctor, and he wouldn't, so I wouldn't get out of my chair, I just held on to it. It took three of them to pick me up and put me in the bed."

"And you didn't attack or take a swing at any one of them?"

"Nope, my hands were holding the chair at all times, I was a good boy."

"Did any of them hit you?" Ahnjong noticed that his compromised left eye was starting to fill with blood. "Eww, is that what happened here?"

"They weren't very kind to me when I refused to let go of the chair. I caught an elbow or three."

Just then Doctor Erikson tapped twice on the door and entered. "How can I help you today?"

"I want to know why my client is in restraints," Annie said as she handed the doctor her business card.

"That would be... for his own safety," said the Doctor as he tried to hand Annie back her business card.

"No, keep it. Your lawyer will want to see it. Now what makes you think that my client is unsafe. Have threats been made against his life? Is the hospital going to start rotating at a high rate of speed at any moment?"

Doctor Erikson gave her a smile that is best described as "smarmy." "I prefer not to discuss a patient's prognosis in front of the patient."

"You can do it here, or you can do it in court," said Annie, "either way he's going to hear it. Which option would be more cost effective in the long run?"

Doctor Erikson's shoulders sagged in defeat. "He was acting in a delusional manner."

"How so?"

"He insists that the staff address him as Doctor." Doctor Erikson's face showed nothing but incredulity.

Annie stared at the doctor for a very long, painful minute before she softly said, "He is a doctor." Doctor Erikson's face went ashen gray in shock. "Tell him your educational certifications, Doctor Campbell," she continued.

"Bachelor's degree in Educational Science from UND where I graduated Phi Beta Kappa, master's degree in Elementary Education at Embrey Riddle University while serving in Korea, and PhD in Education from University of New Mexico at Portales," said Don staring up at the ceiling. "If it will help, I know several members of your staff that could use my expertise in language skills."

Annie whirled on Doctor Erikson. "Let me see if I got this right, you had three men wrestle a disabled veteran suffering from PTSD into a bed because your people didn't want to address him as doctor? Is that what happened?"

"Well, we..."

"And look at his eye! It was normal and healthy when we brought him in here, what did your people do to him? What other injuries will we find when we have a competent doctor and an ophthalmologist examine him?"

"Well, we..."

"I don't see anyone releasing him from his bonds," Ahnjong was on a roll. As Doctor Erikson bent to release Don, she noticed something, "Where is the nurse call button located?"

"There isn't one, this is an observation room."

"And the toilet? Is there a bathroom here?"

"No, of course not, this is an observation room."

Annie glared at Dr. Erikson and hissed, "does the term "observation room" preclude basic human function?" She grabbed the corner of Don's bedding and yanked. When the blankets were pulled back Dr. Erikson was able to see that Don's bedding and pajamas were soaked with urine. "I thought so, I will be taking my client home now. I was going to try to talk him out of suing this hospital into bankruptcy, but now... not so much."

Don looked so embarrassed, "I tried to call someone..."

PHOTOGRAPH

Don is driving a John Deere tractor, Lanh is standing next to him, half leaning against the fender, their smiles are broad as they gaze at each other, they are holding hands. Behind them is a hay wagon filled with hay, children in costumes, and their joyful mothers

The original plan was to go on a Halloween Hayride, the kids were dressed in a variety of costumes and were ready to hop on the hay wagon, but it started raining so Don and the kids were stuck in the house. Don can easily drive any tractor or ATV on the farm, but as they discovered, inside a closed vehicle he's incapable of sitting behind the steering wheel, the panic attack is just too great.

Don sat in the sitting room of "Lanh's Bunk House" the apartment he built for his bride, he sat with Arlo who was dressed in a superman onesie, resting peacefully in his arm, a burp rag on his shoulder, and a bottle of warm formula for his tiny nephew at the ready in his hand. Around him nieces and nephews of varying sizes dressed as two ghosts, a witch, a football player, Captain America, and a "cowboy girl" played a freeform game of tag.

Don had made a rule that any child that couldn't spell "it" couldn't be "it" so it was fair to tag them, but the title of "it" wouldn't transfer to the toddler. The rule worked out well, the little ones like Captain America Liam, and the ghosts Ahn, and Him-chan could play, but they couldn't be singled out because of their size. Squeals, giggles, and joyful cries of "Who's it?" and "She's it!" rang through the house even though only football player Chip, good little witch Chau, and "cowboy girl" Sophia could claim the title of "it."

Out in the dining room the Nguyen sisters, all six of them, Tam, Kim-ly, Angela, Ahnjong, and Rosa tried to console a shattered Lanh. Her hands were shaking with fear and anger and her voice was just as bad when she said "This year has been one bad thing after another... now this..." She didn't mind driving Don wherever he needed to go, it's just that she so missed riding in that old truck, his arm around her as he drove... it was almost like their very last chance to get back to normal was snatched out of their hands. "We came sooo close in that truck!" she sighed

"Close to what?" asked Ahnjong, then with the looks she received from her sisters she realized exactly what she Lanh meant. "Aaaahhh, sorry."

Lanh looked at Don through the French doors to the bunk house, he was conducting the games like a maestro conducting a rambunctious orchestra. "Is he overcompensating for losing Sue Lin?"

"Maybe," said Tam, "or maybe he's overcompensating for growing as up an only child." She patted Lanh's shoulder and gave her a motherly hug, "or maybe he just loves kids that much. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. When do you go back to Grand Forks?"

"Sunday," sniffed Lanh, it was just three days away.

"Here," said Tam and she handed Lanh several pages of handwritten notes she had taken, "Get this to his care team." It was notes from her talks with Don, something to give the military psychiatrists an idea of what Don is dealing with.

Kim-ly snatched the page and scanned it. It was all psychobabble to her, but she said, "I'm going with, I'll make sure they get it."

"I'm driving," said Rosa.

"We're going on to Denver after we drop him off," said Kim-ly, "we won't be back for two weeks."

"Cool, I'll tell Bao to pack my hiking boots..." She paused, then asked as only a mother could ask, "why is it so quiet?"

The women looked at the French doors and saw that the sitting room was empty. Tam ran to a window and saw that the rain had turned to light Halloween snow, and she saw Don leading his menagerie of costumed kids to the barn. Rosa and Kim-ly sprang up and ran to the mud room for their jackets. "He is capable of taking care of the kids," called Tam.

"I just want to go on a hayride!" called Rosa, and soon the room was empty as the sisters headed en masse to the barn to join their kids on a hayride in the snow.

PHOTOGRAPH

Don is standing next to Lanh on a stage in a gymnasium, in uniform, the gym is decorated for Christmas, the floor is covered with people looking up at him.

"Do you need help lacing up your skates old man?" sneered Lanh as she did slow lazy pirouettes in front of the bench that Don was sitting on to lace up his skates. He was going to try skating for the first time in years. Lanh beat him out to the ice because he was busy helping the kids lace up their skates and he got them to their shaky feet. Now he was pulling on figure skates because they provide superior ankle support over hockey skates.

"Haven't you caused enough trouble today doctor?"

Lanh had said "Let's go ice skating" in front of a room full of kids and suddenly they all wanted to go ice skating. Don hooked up the hay wagon to the John Deere and loaded it up with kidlets and their parents and they headed back to the pond.

"Come on Uncle Don!" called Rosa and Bao's oldest daughter Chau as she and her little sister Sophia skated past. Their Uncle Trung made sure that all of his nieces and nephews learned to skate. He and Angela were far out on the pond ice dancing to the Christmas songs blaring from the old boom box.

Don finally got up on his feet and made his way out onto the ice. The bones are all healed, it's time to get the muscles to remember what to do and the joints to stop aching. He stood and walked through the snow to the ice-covered pond, his ankles wobbling a little and stepped onto the ice for the first time in years. Lanh stopped and took his mitten covered hands and gently pulled him out to the ice. The surface was a bit grainy, but Trung had been bringing water out and spread it smooth with a squeegee until the ice was as smooth as it could get without a Zamboni.

Lanh pulled him around by the hands, like he did for her on their first date, until he stopped concentrating on his feet and let his legs take over, and soon they were skating side by side. On their first date, Trung, Bao, Kim-ly and Huy shepherded other skaters away from them because it was Lanh's first time on the ice in her life, now they were herding excited nieces and nephews away until Unka Don "gets his legs back."

Finally, his legs did "come back" to some extent and Don and Lanh began skating, their legs in time with each other. It felt so good to be skating with each other after such a long time. As they circled the portion of the pond that was cleared of snow by Trung and Huy, Chau, Sophia, and Chip skated around them in an orbit. "You're slow Uncle Don," called Chau as she whizzed past.

"Young whipper-snappers," growled Don. He felt a tug at his arm and found that Sophia had latched on to his free arm and was letting Uncle Don pull her along.

"You're a cranky old Norwegian farmer," laughed Lanh as she tried to get him to step up the pace.

Instead, they slowed to a stop and Don pulled Lanh tight, "I don't know how to thank you for standing by me through all of this," he said.

"I'll think of something," she smiled as their lips met. It felt like their first real kiss since he left for Saudi Arabia over a year ago. Their tongues twined together lighting fires in both of their nether regions.

"Let's head back to the house," Don gasped as their lips parted, "let's spend some alone time."

Their lips still touching Lanh laughed into Don's mouth. "Uh uh, we made promises."

Don groaned, tonight, was the Grant Valley high school Christmas Dance, the dance where they first met. Don didn't want to go watch the kids "zombie dance," but Lanh mentioned "Mr. Mach" and "Retirement" and he wanted to see his old coach before he headed off to Arizona or wherever a Minnesota school teacher goes to retire.

"MUSHY!" cried Sophia. Don and Lanh looked down on Rosa and Bao's younger girl. She had the vigor and the fire of her mother's Hispanic heritage, and the beautiful dark brown almond shaped eyes and features of her father's Asian roots.

"You want to see mushy?" asked Don. He dug in his toe picks, the jagged saw tooth like features at the toe of the figure skate blade, then dipped Lanh in his arms and gave her a deep, passionate kiss that almost made her change her mind about tonight. He tried to hide it, but it was a struggle getting her back on her feet.

Sophia covered her eyes, "MUSHY!" she cried again.

"Told ya," said Unka Don.

"Mushy can be good," said Aunty Lanh.

"Yuk!" cried Sophia, "Boys are yucky!" and she skated away with the ungraceful, inefficient skating of a six-year-old.

Sophia's older sister Chau just sighed as older sisters around the world do, "Kids!" She shook her head, "They'll never learn."

"You tell them Sophie!" called her mother Rosa from the wooden bench on shore where she sat next to Tam. "Boys are yuckie!"

"Yuckie!" echoed Sophia.

~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~

Don felt like a chimpanzee wearing a tuxedo on an old black and white comedy like I Love Lucy or the Jack Benny Show or the equivalent as he wore his Service Dress uniform (dress blues) to the school dance, but Lanh had asked him to wear it for a "special presentation with Mr. Mach." He couldn't let down his old coach, and he was surprised to discover that Lanh had sewn master sergeant stripes onto his uniform. Tonight, Lanh was dressed surprisingly formal, she wore a knee length black sleeveless sheath dress that hugged her youthful figure and showed her body off more daringly than being half naked would show. Around her neck she wore a pearl choker that he bought her while TDY to Spain. Her hair was arrow straight like she wore it as a high school sophomore, and her glasses were back to the squared off lenses that frame her beautiful eyes so well.

Looking out at the teens attending the dance Don never felt so old in his life, they were barely older than Bao and Rosa's daughter Chau, the oldest Nguyen grandchild. If he and Lanh had a child as soon as they had wanted when they just turned eighteen, he or she would be here among the freshmen.

The school gymnasium was decorated in red and green for Christmas like it was fourteen years ago when he walked across that floor to ask Lanh to Dance. Back then he felt like he was going to his death; had he known then the love and joy he was due to experience with Lanh he would have sprinted to meet her.

Like many small schools, the gym was designed as a multi-function room. There was a stage at one end of the gym which used to make the gym the primary auditorium in the school until an actual auditorium was added in Don and Lanh's freshman year. Tonight, the curtains were open, and the stage was decorated like a family room at Christmas with a couch, faux fireplace and Christmas tree.

Many of Don's old teachers were gone, they have retired or moved on to other schools. Mr. Bonaventura, his computer teacher, had passed away last year and Lanh was particularly heartbroken when she heard that. It was Mr. B. that comforted her when she and Don were so brutally attacked by Joshua Grimes. Miss Weberman had passed away also, but neither Don nor Lanh was able to generate much sorrow over her passing.

While they were talking to Mr. Mach at the refreshment table, they didn't notice Craig Lewicki step up to the DJ and make a request, nor did they see him walk over to the lighting booth and talk to the student manning the lighting controls. Their conversation with their old coach was interrupted by the familiar strains:

It's a little bit funny

This feeling inside

I'm not one of those who can easily hide...

Don turned to Lanh and bowed deeply, "Doctor Campbell, could I have the honor of this dance?"

She took his hand and smiled, "Why Doctor Campbell, you remind me of a young lad who asked me the same thing not too long ago. Let's do!" and he led her on to the dance floor where they first laid eyes on each other.

Soon they were swept away by the music that opened the pandora's box of their future for them. John Lennon called Your Song the most romantic song of its generation, and 14 years ago both Don and Lanh would have just called it "noise" but by the end of that evening and to this day they agree with John Lennon's assessment. As they danced, they found that stolen kisses at a high school dance are so much fun when you really know how to kiss. Their eyes were trapped by each other's, and they didn't notice the people gathering on the stage, just like they didn't notice the spotlight that highlighted their every step, and they definitely noticed, but ignored the disparaging groans from the high schoolers every time they kissed. Old people kissing... ewww!

"When was your favorite time that we danced to this song?" Don asked.

Lanh rolled her beautiful eyes upward as she thought. "I think when we went skating for the first time."

"Really? I would have thought at our wedding."

"I was in pain at our wedding," scolded Lanh, "or don't you remember what we were doing an hour prior. I hurt!"

Don remembered well their journey out to the pond where they gave each other their virginity. He tried to be caring and gentle but there was no way he could hold back. After that he spent the rest of his life trying to live the motto the lady always cums first. "We almost fell through the entire song when we were skating."

"I know, but I felt safe in your arms."

He suddenly felt very sad, he got banged up pretty good a couple of times in high school trying to protect Lanh. Right after their first dance he got the crap beaten out of him, a year later Joshua Grimes put him in the hospital, he protected Lanh both times. But his pain and injuries now have convinced him that if he couldn't protect Wendy and Cynthia, how could he protect Lanh? He was so worried about that; he was starting to freak out. Lanh recognized the warning signs of his sudden depression, but she knew a fix, "Hold me tight," she said. Her request cut through the firestorm of self-doubt, and he held her close, amazed as always how perfectly she fit in his arms. She didn't know why; she could dig down into the reason later, and it helped. His doubts didn't go away, but they eased a bit.

"Let's go home," he whispered.

But as the song ended Mrs. Gunderson took the stage and the microphone, Mr. Mach lined up next to her. Once she had the crowd's attention she spoke, "In my first year as principal here we had a sophomore couple, a boy and a girl, who teamed up academically and they did quite well. They even wrote a book together and we published it, they teamed up in sports also and brought back the gold in the 200-yard free style setting the state record, then right after graduation they got married and continued their education..." She looked at Don and Lanh and smiled. "Please come up and join me Doctor Donovan Campbell and Doctor Lanh Campbell."

Don was worried, not about being on stage, but about getting on stage. He hasn't been too successful on the stairs at rehab, getting on a tractor is an all-day affair sometimes. Luckily Kim-ly appeared out of the crowd with his cane. "What are you doing here?" Don asked.

"I was here when you first met," said Kim-ly, "maybe I'm your angel," she shrugged, laughed, then disappeared into the crowd with a saucy wiggle of an eyebrow and then of the hips.

With Lanh holding one arm and using the cane on the other arm, Don and Lanh slowly ascended the six steps on to the stage and stepped up to center stage next to Principal Gunderson. Mr. Mach patted Don on the shoulder and said, "Enjoy this, it's going to be awesome."

"Where are you going?" Don asked.

"I'm going down there to watch," Mr. Mach said as he pointed to the crowd.

"I thought you were retiring," insisted Don.

"I'm not retiring," the coach said with a grin, "you are." Don turned to Lanh. He didn't say a word, but she felt his anger start to rise and she gave him an innocent smile and shrugged her shoulders.

The school band began to enter the gymnasium and took up position in the stands to the right of the stage while students set up several folding chairs behind Don and Lanh. "Doctors Campbell, I don't know if this is an ambush or an intervention," said Mrs. Gunderson with a huge smile. "The junior and senior class learned about your career and your unfortunate accident and wanted to honor you."

"I didn't..." Don started quietly.

"I said they could," said Lanh loud enough to be picked up on the microphone eliciting a chuckle among the students. Lanh rarely puts her foot down like that, but when she does, she digs in and is immovable, and she's always right.

As they say, happy wife, happy life. "Yes ma'am. Bring it on," said Don, and he mouthed the words "love you" to Lanh.

"Honored guests, could you join us?" called Mrs. Gunderson.

Soon Ralph, Sandy and all of the Nguyen family took seats in the chairs on stage behind Don and Lanh. Kim-ly reclaimed Don's cane smiling and said, "You're not going anywhere for a while," as Don and Lanh sat in the chairs provided for them. Don looked around in suspicion, this was more than a high school rally, the crowd on the gym floor grew larger, he recognized a lot of faces from in town, even Mr. Helgeson, the old fellow that ran the Five and Dime was here. Something was going to happen.

Once again Mrs. Gunderson approached the microphone. "Thank you all for joining us in honoring the career of United States Air Force Master Sergeant Donovan A. Campbell. Official party could you enter?"

As two highly decorated enlisted men and two officers entered and took their positions behind Mrs. Gunderson, she introduced them. "Former senior enlisted advisor to the Fifth bombardment wing, Chief Master Sergeant retired Juan Sanchez. Former chief of maintenance for the fifty second fighter wing, Chief Master Sergeant retired Royce Brown, Commander of the Twenty Seventh fighter wing Colonel Daniel Gilliam. and US Air Force Air Combat Command Director of Logistical Support, Lieutenant General Buchanan Davis."

Don was completely stunned, it was bad enough that he's getting a full retirement ceremony, but the official party! Royce trimmed his mustache, dusted off his old uniform and came up from Florida. Buck Davis stopped running the Air Force and flew here from Langley Virginia, Colonel Gilliam put the twenty seventh on hold and flew up from New Mexico... and his old friend Johnny came out of retirement for him, and not just a chief, as senior enlisted advisor, he was the chief Chief at Minot AFB when he retired. For her part Lanh cried out in joy and jumped up when she saw Annie Brown and she hugged her co-conspirator as Annie stepped on to the stage and came to sit with the Nguyen family.

Don felt old and feeble because he needed help to stand and Kim-ly had to move up next to him to assist. With all the skating this afternoon and dancing this evening both she and Lanh had to help him to his feet as the colors were presented by the Grant Valley High School JROTC color guard.

Once the colors were posted, Lanh's dear friend Sydney McCluskey Lewicki, Lanh's partner on the debate team and vocalist at their wedding, stepped up to the microphone and sang the National Anthem accompanied by the school band. Syd's voice was just as beautiful and powerful as ever.

After singing Sydney was joined by her husband Craig resplendent in his Minnesota State Patrol sergeant's uniform. He led Sydney over to Lanh and Don where they shook hands and hugged. Craig and Sydney put their lives on hold and drove up from Minneapolis for this moment. "Welcome home Don," whispered Craig as they shook hands.

After the national anthem Pastor Loomis stepped up to the microphone and gave a short invocation, then Chief Sanchez stepped up to the microphone and gave a short welcoming speech thanking the students at Grant Valley High School for giving up a bit of their holiday dance. He finished his short speech by looking over at Don who was shaking his head and mouthing the words "no" but Johnnie nodded and mouthed the word "yes." The crowd saw the pantomime play out between the old friends and Juan ended the cat and mouse game with saying into the microphone, "Sergeant Campbell, would you please approach the podium?"

Helped again to his feet by Lanh and Kim-ly, he walked the few steps to the podium where Colonel Gilliam awaited him. Don stood at attention and Juan read "The president of the United States has placed special trust in the patriotism, integrity, and abilities of technical sergeant Donovan A. Campbell. In view of these special qualities Technical Sergeant Campbell is promoted to Master Sergeant effective immediately."

Don was officially presented with his Master Sergeant stripes by Colonel Gilliam because, as Don found out later, Colonel Gilliam was instrumental in the fight to keep Don on active duty while convalescing. As they shook hands Don could see in Colonel Gilliam's eyes that he was feeling as responsible for Cynthia's death as Don did.

Johnny began to read again. "Citation to accompany the award of Air Force Commendation Medal. Technical Sergeant Donovan A. Campbell distinguished himself by outstanding achievement as head of 27^th Fighter Wing educational services branch, Canon Air Force Base, Clovis New Mexico..." and read off the improvements that Don suggested and implemented throughout the educational and occupational training conducted on base and that his improvements are being codified and written into USAF regulation to be implemented throughout the USAF. "... let it be known to all that Sergeant Campbell completed these accomplishments while convalescing from injuries sustained while serving in a combat zone. The distinctive accomplishments of Sergeant Campbell while immobilized reflect credit upon himself and the United States Air Force."

Royce stepped up and opened a blue box for the colonel, and Colonel Gilliam took the commendation medal from the box and clipped it to Don's uniform pocket then stepped back and saluted Don! Don was in complete shock. The colonel was saluting him! "Return his salute Don," said Royce quietly, and Don returned it, completely in shock

Then as Colonel Gilliam returned to his position General Davis moved to face Don and Chief stood between them facing the audience as Juan read, "Citation to accompany the award, this is to certify that the President of the United States authorized by executive order, awarded the Meritorious Service Medal to Master Sergeant Donovan A. Campbell for meritorious service..." Johnny droned on listing so many things from his past that Don forgot all about -- maintenance improvements, planes fixed in the nick of time, glowing evaluations from the SAC Inspector General... "Damn, I was pretty wonderful," Don thought as he listened. Royce opened a blue box that he held and General Davis reached in and extracted a Meritorious Service Medal, commonly called the MSM. General Davis attached it to the pocket flap on Don's service dress jacket.

"I know you lost an airman," said Buck softly as he clipped the medal on Don's uniform. "I've lost a few myself, and I blame myself too. I came here to remind you that you got quite a few out, I'm told that nearly a dozen men were saved by your insistence on safety that day and they came home because of you. Just remember, you're not alone."

"Thank you, sir," Don croaked in reply, and they shook hands, then General Davis saluted Don, a fact not lost on any enlisted man in attendance that Don was saluted by a full colonel and a three-star general. "You didn't have to..." Don was in complete shock, medals, ribbons, certificates, that was just USAF frippery and gim-gaws now that he was done with them, but being saluted by these men, these Leaders of men and women, war heroes, that was the honor that struck him. He returned Buck Davis' salute, his throat tightened and his heart filled with sorrow that he had to say goodbye.

Then Johnny began to read again, "To all who shall see these presents, greetings: this is to certify that Master Sergeant Donovan A. Campbell having served faithfully and honorably was retired from the United States Air Force on this day. Signed Lieutenant General Buchanan R. Davis, Director, Logistical Support, Air Combat Command, United States Air Force.

Royce handed Buck a framed certificate, and Buck handed it to Don. Like with the certificate that came with the medal, they paused for a photograph, then shook hands and saluted. "God damnit," Buck growled, "I wanted to keep you at least fifteen more."

"Sorry sir," said Don with genuine sadness, "I got nothing left." A medical retirement, 100% disability, this isn't the way Don wanted to get out.

"I know son, stay home and let momma care of you for a while." General Davis said with a sad smile. "Speaking of momma..."

"Mrs. Campbell could you please step forward?" called Johnny. Lanh stood and stepped next to Don, Annie had told her to expect this part, this is where they thank her for supporting Don and hand her some flowers. Instead Johnny read "Citation to accompany the award, the Air Force Civilian Achievement Award is presented to Doctor Lanh Huong Nguyen Campbell for her outstanding service and support of the mission of the United States Air Force..." and went on to name many of the things she did supporting military families, a lot of it was talking young girls in off the ledge as military life got to them, and also getting furniture for newlyweds who had an empty apartment, helping find daycare for young parents, taking young mothers and children to the commissary or doctor's appointments when transportation wasn't available, wellness checks on families when dad or mom was on a long deployment.

When General Davis clipped the medal on her dress, Lanh realized what all the hoopla about those pretty bits of ribbon on the uniform is all about. It's not about collecting them like trading cards, Don has a bunch of them on his uniform and he used to work hard to make sure they were straight and in the right order. It's not about the ribbon or the medal at all, it's knowing that someone noticed your efforts and cared enough to recognize you. It was standing here with a three-star general who has ten thousand airmen and three times as many civilian contractors working directly for him, and that general drops everything to come to you and he says, "I know what you did and how hard you worked, thank you." It was something she learned with those young girls thinking they're all grown up and finding out that being married to an Air Force airman is tough and their world starts to collapse. Sometimes finding out that somebody gives a damn is worth everything to them.

When the presentation was complete the teens filling the gym started chanting "Nhanh lên! Nhanh lên!" Lanh's smile was huge, they remembered! Little did she know but her shouts of encouragement when training Don and Rosa became sort of a battle cry, a cheer of sorts for the swim team at Grant Valley High.

Then Johnny began to read again, "Certificate of Appreciation. Dear Mrs. Campbell, on the occasion of your husband's retirement I wish to personally thank you for your dedication..." and Lanh didn't really hear the rest, she just clung to Don's arm both glad and filled with sorrow that this part of the journey was over.

At the conclusion of the recitation, a framed copy of the certificate was handed to Lanh, along with a bouquet of long stem roses in her favorite color -- the pink of rose quartz. Sandy and Mai were presented red roses as a thank you for loaning Don and Lanh to the USAF. This time the students began chanting "Di di mau! Di di mau!" Through her laughter Lanh saw the confused look on Annie's face, and she realized that she had some explaining to do.

"We have one final presentation" announced Johnny, a certificate of appreciation to Doctor Tam Johnson and Kim-ly Nguyen for the work they did helping with the injured co-workers of Don at Wiesbaden hospital.

Now it was time to return the dance to the students, the band struck up "On Grant Valley" which sounded a lot like "On Wisconsin" and delivery drivers from the local pizzeria began stacking boxes of steaming hot pizza at the refreshment counter, a gift for the students from the US Air Force Air Combat Command Director of Logistical Support.

PHOTOGRAPH

A crowd of people are gathered at a long table, Don is seated at the head of the table in uniform holding a plaque, obviously in some emotional distress.

The whole family, plus guests gathered at Nguyen's Pho for a post retirement ceremony meal. General Davis and his wife Adel along with Colonel Gilliam and his wife Karen were engaged in conversation with Duong and Ralph. Both veterans wore their American Legion caps and were listening in rapt attention to Buck's stories of flying the B-One, the Bone and the B-52, the Buff. And Colonel Gilliam spoke of flying the antithesis of these monsters, the F-16. Both were veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and had stories in abundance.

"Gather to the table!" cried Mai clapping her hands together, "Everyone sit!"

The whole Nguyen clan was there, Duong and Mai, their six children who brought spouses and grandchildren, as was Ralph and Sandy. Sandy brought two of her daughters, Stephanie and her husband Rod, and Mary and her husband Wes. As they sat down Lanh looked around and asked, "Where's Don?" He was supposed to be sitting at the head of the table but looking around the crowd as they sat down, he wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Last time I saw him he was talking to Mary and Wes," said Sandy, "but that was a while ago."

Hearing her name, Mary stepped up and immediately got the gist of the conversation. "He asked if he could hold Catherine," said Mary, starting to look worried. Catherine is her nine-month-old daughter.

Just then the wait staff began serving small bowls of Pho as a first course. Rosa walked out from the kitchen to see if the service was going smoothly. "Have you seen Don?" Lanh asked her.

"Yeah," said Rosa jerking her thumb over her shoulder toward the kitchen. "He's cooking."

"Cooking?" Lanh and Mary hurried into the kitchen and there was Don in his shirtsleeves and wearing an apron, stir frying vegetables in a huge wok while instructing Rosa's eldest daughter Chau on using a wok. Sophia was nearby entertaining Catherine who was safely strapped into a highchair. Occasionally Don would hand them all a pea pod to snack on.

"Honey, everyone's waiting for you," said Lanh, her voice showed she was concerned, she knew he wasn't in here to cook, he was here to hide.

"They don't want me out there," said Don, "they want some hero that has the same name as me. He left a long time ago."

"Baby, they came all this way just to see you; Johnny, Royce, Buck, and Dan, they all know what you're going through, they've been there, they understand... they're here for the you that is hiding." She saw that as he stirred the vegetables his arm movements were stiff and ungainly, not the smooth action he's capable of. He had started cooking in the restaurant again as part of his therapy to keep his arms and hands moving. His movements showed that he was definitely in pain. She came up behind him and hugged him close "Come," she said, emulating the firm tone her mother used when concerned for her brood, "you need to sit down."

Don patted her hands and enjoyed the comfort of her hug, then sighed and turned in her arms and gave her a kiss. "Ok, one last time in the monkey suit." He returned to the wok and scooped the vegetables out of the wok into a to-go container, then cleaned out the wok and turned it over to the real cook who was more than happy for the break. "Ok girls, let's go eat supper."

"Supper! It's bedtime," squealed Chau.

"Katie is already full," laughed Sophia and pointed to Catherine who had a pea pod in each chubby fist and was gnawing on another.

As Mary unstrapped her daughter from the highchair, the same highchair Lanh sat in during her youth, Lanh gave Don a questioning look. "She's teething," he said as he rolled down his sleeves and put on his uniform jacket.

He let Lanh lead him out to the table where rather than a standing ovation that he was dreading, he received some good-natured ribbing, especially from Johnny and Royce, and that made him feel good. Being told "Sit your slow-motion raggedy-ass slacker butt down, we're trying to eat," in just the right tone of voice conveys more affection than a bouquet of flowers and a love sonnet for an enlisted man. He looked at Johnny, Royce, Dan, and Buck. At one time each had the power of life and death over him, now they're here as friends. Friends who didn't want his service forgotten.

The menu was beef broth soup followed by a main course of shaking beef with water cress salad, white rice, and shrimp spring rolls. Dinner conversation was light and humorous. At one point Royce asked Annie "You're always talking about Vietnamese food, why don't you feed me like this at home?"

Annie looked him in the eye and said, "There's no Pho restaurants in Beverly Beach Florida."

Adel whooped with laughter, "You tell 'im girl! At my age the only thing I'm able to make is reservations!"

Don was actually starting to enjoy this meal. While not actually a dining out, it's been a long time since he could sit with his fellow airmen and swap lies. (The Navy has sea stories, the Army has war stories, the Air Force has their tales too, but they're honest enough to label them accurately.) The highlight of the dinner was Chau and Sophia explaining why the meal was called Shaking Beef. When stir frying the beef cubes, rather than stir the beef, the chef shakes the wok to make the beef cubes roll. The girls thought that was particularly funny and enjoyed imitating Don's style of shaking the wok. "Shake shake shake shake!" they cried as the moved their arms in circles.

After the meal, they were served German chocolate cake with pecan coconut frosting for dessert. "Mmmm! Good choice," said Annie, "Is this your favorite cake Don?"

Don opened his voice to answer but Lanh jumped in with her own answer. "No, it's MY favorite. I wouldn't dare serve his favorite."

"What's that?" asked Annie, "fruit cake?" Neither Don nor Lanh said a word, but their expressions said it all.

"Seriously?" gasped Adel, "You actually LIKE fruitcake?"

They were nearly drowned out by the laughter, but Royce said, "It was the original field ration."

"It was carried by Roman soldiers," said Johnny, "they carried it into battle as a snack."

"I like the fruit," Don said quietly.

Lanh nodded, "He picks out the cherries and pineapple and eats them all first."

When all had finished eating and it looked like those with young children were getting antsy to go, Colonel Gilliam stood and carried a plaque to Don. Don stood and Colonel Gilliam said "Don, you are one of the finest men who has ever served under me. Some day in the future you're going to want to put your I Love Me wall back up, and those of us in the four twenty nineth would be honored if you could add this to your wall."

The black walnut plaque contained emblems of every unit Don had served in, including his Basic Training Squadron and his Technical Training Squadron. They surrounded a pewter scroll that was engraved with the words from his retirement orders:

To all who shall see these presents, greetings: this is to certify that Master Sergeant Donovan A. Campbell having served faithfully and honorably was retired from the United States Air Force on this day.

It was followed with his date of separation and General Buchanan Davis' signature. Each insignia from each unit had a small gold piece inscribed with the dates of service for each unit. Even his temporary duty deployments were listed and at the bottom was inscribed was the unofficial US Serviceman's motto:

"A true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." - GK Chesterton

Don looked at the beautiful plaque, too beautiful and meaningful for someone like him, but he knew if he handed it back, they wouldn't take it. Royce and Johnny moved up to either side of him and grabbed his arms as his legs gave out.

"There he goes," said Royce quietly.

"We got him," said Johnny as they eased Don back into his chair.

Lanh started to panic as Don stared at the far end of the table blankly. "It's ok," said Johnny. "It's just demons that he's got to face."

"He's going to need help," nodded Dan Gilliam who turned to Tam and said, "Are you still observing Doctor?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I can't treat him, but I send my observations to his doctors."

Don looked and the opposite end of the table faded away, as did the front wall of the restaurant, in its place was the ramp at Canon AFB. When he heard Royce say "There he goes..." it seemed like his voice came from a hundred miles away.

Don was plunged into a cold somber winter day, a light, icy rain was falling, and he was there in his wheelchair. His friends and family were gone, replaced by the men and women of the four twenty nineth. On his right sat Wendy Adams in her wheelchair, behind him stood Lanh ready to support him as always. Her left hand rested on his shoulder, her right hand on her heart. Don and Wendy sat wearing their leather flight jackets and caps, dark green wool blankets across their laps, the cold wet wind piercing their hospital pajamas. Along with their fellow airmen they held a sharp salute as Cynthia's flag draped coffin was slowly carried past to the waiting hearse.

The civilians assembled either stood quietly with their hands on their hearts or murmured quietly wondering what was going on, who was that in that coffin? Don wanted to scream "SHUT UP! HONOR HER MEMORY..." Instead, he held his anger, he held his salute, his bandaged, splinted hand and arm starting to shake from the pain. The effort it took to hold the salute caused excruciating pain, but this was for his friend, his subordinate, his responsibility. How does he write her final Airman's Performance Report? "She was an incredible, productive airman, an honor to work with right up until the moment she was killed by some ignorant cocksucking jet jockey."

As the command "ORDER ARMS" was given he lowered his hand then turned and saw Clark, Cynthia's husband. He was holding a small boy in his arm; his other hand clasped the hand of a four-year-old girl. "Where's mommy? Where's mommy, daddy?"

"I killed her," muttered Don as tears started to fill his eyes. He tried to suck up his emotions, but he wanted to tell that little girl the truth, he needed to tell her that he killed her mommy.

"What did you say honey?" asked Lanh.

"I did it," said Don, "I killed her."

Lanh gasped and was about to admonish him when he saw Darryl, Wendy's husband. He was walking quickly toward them, leading their son when he caught sight of Wendy and the damage done to her once beautiful, perfectly symmetrical face. The look of disgust and revulsion on his face shocked and horrified Don. Darryl picked up their little boy and left, taking the child with him. The sound of Wendy sorrowful screaming for her husband to come back echoed in Don's head and wakes him in the night for years to come.

Slowly the restaurant returned, and everyone was looking at him, but Don didn't care because the sound of Wendy's shrieks of horror and sadness remained. Waves of nausea and sorrow washed over Don. Behind him Lanh fumbled for a tissue, one of them would have tears that needed to be dealt with, but Don's brothers, Huy and Trung were completely befuddled, "What is going on?" Trung demanded.

Royce and Johnny took them off to the side as Colonel Gilliam and General Davis talked quietly to Don. Chief Brown softly "Every day we lose twenty-two veterans to suicide. Sometimes you can't see the worst injuries. Please keep an eye on your brother, he's going to have days like this."

PHOTOGRAPH

Don and Lanh are laying asleep, cuddling together naked on a mink blanket in front of a gaily decorated fireplace with a fire burning on the hearth. Behind them is a Christmas tree surrounded by gifts. In the shadows is Kim-ly watching.

It was Christmas Eve Eve, the day before the day before Christmas, a day Don and Lanh tend to celebrate also. Lanh and Trung's wife Angela had decorated the Campbell house more extensively than ever and now Lanh and Don have the whole house to themselves tonight which is a rarity. Ralph and Sandy were spending the holiday in Mankato with Sandy's daughter Doris, and Kim-ly is spending the evening with her new boyfriend Tim Tran, a fellow Vietnamese.

Don was crouched in front of the fireplace. He swept out the ashes and now had a merry fire crackling in the andiron on the hearth. He lifted a heavy iron pot full of a hearty Vietnamese style beef stew that Lanh and Kim-ly have been begging for weeks for him to make. He lifted it onto the pot hook and before he could swing the hook arm back into the fireplace centering the pot over the crackling fire, he felt a kind of a snap in his back and pain shot through him, he barely got the pot on the hook. Gasping for breath he put the lid on the pot then swung it over the fire, then he fell back on to his side. The pain was so intense he thought he was going to vomit, but it happens, and sadly he's used to it, he just needs to get up. If he can. As he dragged himself to a chair to pull himself up, he wondered why does she put up with me?

After her shower, Lanh stood naked in front of the mirror combing her hair. A stray thought occurred to her, Don's insistence that she wear glasses. Frowning, she studied her face in the mirror, she saw nothing wrong with the face looking back at her, now that Don is on the mend and Kim-ly is forcing food on her she no longer looks gaunt and worn out. She put her glasses on and saw that they highlighted her eyes, but she didn't see anything special about it. Don called it "Putting frames around twin masterpieces, but Lanh always hated her eyes. In her youth she felt that they singled her out and made her far different from her classmates. It never occurred to her that being so much smaller than those classmates is what made her the butt of their taunts. Of course, at the time deep down she knew it, but for some reason she always blamed the epicanthic fold, the fold of skin that makes Asian eyes what they are.

She took her glasses off and began to apply eye makeup using the style that Kim-ly constantly tells her to use, then she put her glasses on and looked again. Her eyes... maybe they are pretty. Maybe...

She picked up her silk shortie robe off the chair in the corner and caused a cascade of papers. The chair in the corner of the bedroom is better described as a "crap trap" than a chair because it attracts all kinds of things that belong somewhere else. This time it was papers from Don's rehab in Grand Forks. He's been working on handwriting, slowly getting that skill back. She noticed the first line of the assignment, it read "My Very Dear Cô Dâu, my em yêu."

She smiled, Cô Dâu mean bride in Vietnamese, it's how he always addresses letters to her, and they've all been love letters. Em yêu is among the first Vietnamese words Don learned, em yêu is a term of endearment directly translated it meansI love, or you love but either way it means sweetheart or darling or lover or most correctly my love. What the words mean and how they're used can be, like in English, two different things. Sort of like the term son of a bitch; when used by an American it rarely has anything to do with puppies. She sat down on the bed to read.

My Very Dear Cô Dâu, my em yêu

I don't know how to say what is in my heart other than "I'm sorry." When I look back at all of the hopes and dreams that we had I can only see how I utterly failed at each one and dragged you down with me into a cesspool of complete and utter failure. We only planned on six years in the Air Force, and we stayed over twice that long because of me. We wanted children and thanks to me that's impossible now. We planned on taking over the farm, thanks to me that's impossible because I can barely walk to the barn. I can't drive a truck. I can't milk a cow. I can't properly make love to you. I have no words to express how useless I feel and how I hate that I did this to you.

I want you to know that if you want to leave me behind and to strike out on your own and find success without an empty, broken shell of a man to drag you down, then please do. You can go knowing that I am going to cheer you on in every endeavor and every relationship you have.

You have treated me so much better than I deserved, but I can't go on hurting you like this. Yes, I am feeling sorry for myself, but that seems to be the only thing I can do. And worse, much worse, I am feeling sorry for you, and I want to stop doing that. I want to see you succeed, I want to see you grow and flourish. Go.

Go to Colorado, take those positions they offered and make them yours, become the superstar of speech pathology that we both know you are. And if you find a man that can care for you in a way I no longer can, then I will be so happy for you and wish you joy in your future together. Maybe with a man who doesn't have a stain on his record you can adopt and make your life complete. And if it helps, go knowing that I will always, always love you.

Don

Lanh read and re-read the letter, her blood turning to ice in her veins. How dare he! She stormed into the living room and saw Don lying on the floor. He had obviously fallen and was trying to get to a chair to get up, too stubborn to call for help, his face was a mask of pain and frustration. She stood over him for a moment, waiting for a remark. Before he left for Saudi Arabia, he would have noticed that she was naked under the silk robe before anything else and commented on it, now she isn't sure if he realized she was standing over him.

With a bare foot she pushed him onto his back, the only sound in the house was the crackling and popping of the fire in the fireplace. He finally looked up at her, his breath came in wheezing gasps. She didn't care, she was angry. "When you show me?" she shouted holding the letter in one hand, then her anger building even higher, and her English was devolving, her accent more pronounced. She gave up on English in her anger and shouted "Khi nào anh sẽ cho tôi xem cái này?" (When were you going to show me this?)

Oh God, he groaned inwardly, she found that note. He tried to swallow, but a huge lump in his throat made it nearly impossible. Slowly with a lot of mispronunciations he said, "Tuần trước, nhưng tôi đã rất sợ hãi." (Last week, but I got scared.) Then he said in plain English, "I didn't have the guts... just add that to my list of failures."

She squatted down and leaned over him, there was fire in her eyes that Don had never seen before. "If I take those positions and move to Greeley, will you come with me?" Her voice was forceful and demanding.

"I... I..." He took a deep breath and said the most painful thing he ever uttered in his life. "I can't. I can't drag you down with me."

"Fine, I call and tell them I decline their offer," insisted Lanh.

"You can't!"

"I stay here and work the farm with Ralph. You can cook, Problem solved," and that was that.

"Em yêu, you..."

"DO NOT call me sweetheart if you want me to leave you!"

"... these offers... it's your dream... I just ruin everything..."

"I do not marry Northern Colorado University, I marry YOU," Lanh nearly shouted. "Where you go, I go. Where you live, I live." She leaned close until their noses almost touched. "My dream is not a job, my dream is YOU, my dream is US!" Her accent was horribly pronounced, and her eyes were filled with her own pain as she whispered, "You save me from Joshua Grimes when he try to rape me. When doctor tell me I'm barren, I broken, useless empty shell. You carry me, you heal me, took years! Now it my turn to heal you. Let me save you! Do not take my dream!"

Don's internal agony was now intensified, instead of setting Lanh free he hurt her even more. He was trapped in a hell of his own creation, and he dragged Lanh into it with him and he had no idea how to make amends. "I don't know what to do... I don't know what to say..." He was lost.

"Say it," she demanded as she straddled him, then her voice softened to a kind persuasion, "tell me again." He looked confused, so she started. "I, Nguyen Huong Lanh, take you Donovan Aloysius Campbell to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life, till death do us part."

Slowly, as if coming out of a dream Don repeated the words they practiced almost fifteen years ago with the little change they added for their wedding, "I, Donovan Aloysius Campbell, take you Nguyen Huong Lanh to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, all the days of my life, till death do us part."

When he finished their lips met, their tongues gently touched and caressed each other. Then suddenly her tongue drove deep into his mouth, their mouths pressing together tightly. She began tongue fucking his mouth, her tongue sliding in deep, claiming his mouth as her own, this was the most intense kiss he's ever experienced. Despite the pain in his back and his hip and his heart he found his cock getting hard. When their lips parted, Don took a shuddering breath, he felt almost like he was forgiven for the grievous sin of being a burden. "Where do we go from here, Dragon Lady?" he gasped.

Lanh smiled, one of those joyful, full-face smiles, even her eyes radiated joy. "It is simple Agent Double Oh Seven and Five Eighths, we accept offers, we hunt houses." Her voice became calm, her grasp of English returned indicating she was feeling secure. "We get you into the VA and we transfer to the Denver VA system." She sat up straight and moved forward. "But first we send out invitations..."

She opened her robe and lined up her pussy with his mouth. He capitulated, he was now her possession, her fuck toy, hers to use however she wants. For incentive as he heals, she'll let him return to the driver's seat, but right now... she lowered her pussy on to his waiting tongue. "Invitations for what?" he got out before her pussy covered his mouth. He looked up at her and his eyes focused on her firm breasts, her nipples swollen and hard like when they were young, before they learned what pain was all about.

Don could smell her excitement as she lowered herself to his face. They've played games before and she often enjoyed being the bottom in games of dominance, but rarely was she the top. Tonight, Don realized that this wasn't a game, she was now in charge of their marriage and their sex life, and he was in no position to negotiate. With a muffled pant he welcomed her sodden pussy to his nose and mouth. Her soft pubic hairs tickled his nose, her scent filled his senses and his sinuses, he tried to say "Lanh a Chi yêu em," (I love you) but her cunt silenced his words.

"The invitations?" her eyes rolled up and she gasped as her twat made contact with his mouth. "For renewing our vows." When she said that his tongue began thrusting, "Ohhh... that's beautiful," she gasped as his tongue slithered into her cunt. "What did I tell you back then, do you remember?"

Don's reply was muffled as he continued to thrust his tongue into her, now he shifted his tongue flickering over her swollen, tingling clit. His hands cupping her cute ass cheeks and he lifted her up a bit so he could breathe. He didn't remember, so she reminded him of the first words she said to him as his wife. "You have fallen into my trap Dr. Campbell; you are all mine!"

She began moving her hips back and forth, rubbing her pussy on his face. The feeling of his lips and tongue slobbering over her pussy, suckling on her lips and clitoris, swallowing her juices as they flowed from her overwhelmed the tiny Asian woman. She sighed and her whole body relaxed as she let the divine waves of erotic sensation wash over her; he was so good at wringing orgasm after orgasm out of her but now she's in complete control and she wanted this at her own pace.

She whispered, "Don't move!" and she got up and turned around. Now she lowered her clit into his mouth, his nose slipped between her nether lips, he was smothered by her cunt, and she loved the power she had now. As the sexual tension began to build her eyes rolled up in her head. "Oh God it's so good," she groaned.

Don began suckling on her clit, his tongue was strumming it sending thrills through her body that penetrated her very soul. She noticed his erect cock rising, she opened his robe and it poked upward, seeking her slit, which was otherwise occupied. Her breath was coming in gasps, and she opened her robe wider, her hands seeking her small firm breasts. She squeezed them and pinched her nipples, delighting in the electrical jolts of pleasure that radiated from each pinch and squeeze. She moved forward bringing her pussy in line with his mouth and relished in the exquisite sensation of his tongue sliding into her pussy. She rubbed her clit on his chin and groaned at the multiple inputs. "Soooo goooood," she sighed, "don't stop."

She felt his nose, now embedded between her small ass cheeks, and she wanted more. She shifted forward lining up her ass with his mouth. "Hậu môn của tôi!" (my anus) she gasped. He complied and she now felt his tongue circle her tiny starfish. The feeling was so sensuous, so different from the stimulation he gave her vagina, so delightful! Her right hand left her breast and traveled down to her clit, and she began to strum it gently.

Through her heavy lidded eyes she saw Don's hand reaching for his throbbing cock. She slapped his hand and said "Chưa em yêu." (Not yet sweetie). His response was to drive his tongue into her tiny anal pore. She gasped as snakey pleasure began to radiate from her rectum. His tongue slithered inside of her anus causing her to moan "Oh God, don't stop!"

She leaned back, driving her ass down onto his mouth, allowing him to delve deeper into her guts, oh God this felt so weird, yet so good. She needed more, she collapsed forward onto her hands, staring at his cock which was throbbing, it looked harder now than it has been in a year. She felt him trying to get back to her ass and she gasped, "Am dao!" Don understood, he made sure he knew as many Vietnamese words as possible that could be used in this situation and directed his questing tongue to her pussy as she had demanded. "Am dao cua toi!" (My cunt!) she gasped.

She was propping herself up with one hand now, her other hand pinched and stretched a nipple, her mouth hung open as she gasped and panted. The thrills his tongue created pushed her higher but it still wasn't enough. "Am vat!" she demanded, "Am vat cua toi!" and she leaned further forward giving him full access to her clit.

His mouth closed over her clit and as that happened, she felt two fingers penetrate her pussy and begin fucking her, the sensations were overwhelming her. First the dominating her husband was a huge turn-on, queening him was intense, but now his fevered sucking and fucking, and now a finger joined in her ass, she felt her tiny passage being invaded by a finger... now two fingers, and now the fucking started in earnest of both of her holes. His free hand pressed down on the small of her back, trapping her, she couldn't escape if she wanted to. The tide has turned; Agent Double Oh Seven and Five Eighths has trapped the Dragon Lady, latching on to her clit like it was a nipple, savagely fingerfucking her cunt and her ass. She was a prisoner of the sensations that she demanded of him.

"Don't stop! Don't stop!" she gasped over and over, "Doong zung lai!" Then suddenly "Toi cực khoái! I'm cumming!" She lost control of her body, and she slumped down onto Don as wave after wave of mind bending release crashed over her. Fluid gushed out of her into Don's mouth, and he continued to suckle on her clit, driving her out of her mind. "Oh God! Uunngghh! Uuuhhh!" She lay completely down using his thigh as a pillow and groaned incoherently as she surrendered to the powerful orgasm.

"Aahhh!" came a cry of female passion. Lanh was out of her mind, still cumming, but she knew that wasn't her. She looked up and saw Kim-ly crawling across the living room floor from her seat in Ralph's recliner where she watched and masturbated unnoticed. Her face was painted with a mischievous smile as she grabbed Lanh's hair and lifted her face from Don's thigh. Lanh whimpered, Kim-ly's appearance if anything increased Lanh's pleasure, which panicked her. Wouldn't a proper lady react differently if she was spied on by her sister? Then her orgasm spiked again as Kim-ly eased her tongue into Lanh's mouth.

It was a kiss for the ages. The two sisters that teased and taunted each other for their entire lives were now passionately kissing, their familial love suddenly reached a crescendo as their lips met. Lanh tried to pull away, but Kim-ly's grip on her hair held her fast to her mouth, and Don's hand on her back held her fast to his mouth. As Don finger fucked her pussy and ass, Kim-ly tongue fucked her mouth, and the situation started a second orgasm that shook Lanh to her soul.

Kim-ly finally broke the kiss and Lanh looked at her, wild eyed and mouth wide open. Kim-ly smiled and with one hand lifted Don's iron hard cock into line with Lanh's mouth, then still holding Lanh's hair she pushed Lanh's mouth down over Don's cock. She shoved half of his length into Lanh's mouth, then lifted Lanh until only the bulbous head remained to be tortured by Lanh's flickering tongue. After a pause, Kim-ly pushed Lanh's head back down on his throbbing length; Don groaned in gratitude and delight as his wife engulphed his throbbing cock. He felt her lips slide up and down his aching erection several times, then Lanh lifted her head and glared into Kim-ly's eyes. "Do not move," she said to Kim-ly, but Don answered, "Yes mistress," at the same time Kim-ly said it very quietly.

Lanh eased out from under her robe which was covering Don's face. As she stood Kim-ly leaned forward and kissed Lanh's thatch of pubic hair causing Lanh to whimper, not from the feeling of Kim-ly kissing her, but the picture in her mind of her sister kissing her there was so highly erotic! Carefully she eased to the side and pointed to Kim-ly.

Don was ready to cum, he trembled holding back the flood, and now he felt her hand grasp his cock as she straddled him, then her pussy engulfed him, oh god, he needed to cum so bad, but she just started... "I'm going..."

"Im lặng!" (Silence!) Lanh demanded. This was the only way...

Don held his tongue and allowed that pussy to slide and down his pole until he could hold it back no longer and with a strangled cry he came explosively. Spurt after spurt of Don's hot, musky, semen splattered into her cunt. Don felt her pussy pull away and Lanh lay down between his legs and began cleaning his cock with her mouth. She tried to swallow but it was so difficult, his big cock in her mouth, his sperm was everywhere then there was Kim-ly's whispered request, "Save me some."

Finally, the deluge ended, Don twisted his hips to get his cock out of her oral grasp, the sensations were too intense. As he twisted away, Lanh shared his cum with Kim-ly in another deep, passionate kiss.

Finally, Kim-ly crept back and snuck out of the room, sure that Don never saw her because Lanh's robe was covering his head. Lanh got a mink blanket to snuggle under, but it was so toasty warm in front of the fire that they rolled on top of the blanket and cuddled in the light of the fire. The soft music, the lights from the tree, the fragrance of the tree and the birchwood fire, the pain and sorrow of the past year were not forgotten, but the sting is easing. "Greeley? Have we ever been to Greeley?" Don whispered.

"When we were in Tech School, they had that train museum."

"Oh yeah... but can we afford to move?"

"I'll ask our accountant," she whispered, but she thought back to their kisses and began to see her sister in a whole new light. She looked over at Ralph's Chair and Kim-ly had eased back into it, her pale legs now visible in the flickering firelight. And in Sandy's chair just next to it sat... her angel. Lanh couldn't see her hair but she thought it was the angel with the purple tip hair. Either way, life suddenly got very complicated for Lanh.

PHOTOGRAPH

Don and Lanh are standing in front of a house, a very nice ranch style, they're holding a realtor's sign, the sign has a banner across it that says SOLD. A handwritten note under the picture says, "Our first house, Greeley Colorado"